Carl Bjorn Braestrup (April 13, 1897 – August 8, 1982) was an American physicist, engineer and inventor who specialised in radiation safety at the New York Department of Hospitals and Columbia University.
Carl B. Braestrup | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carl Bjorn Braestrup April 13, 1897 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | August 8, 1982 (aged 85) Middletown, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Spouse |
Elsebet Kampmann (m. 1928) |
| Children | 2, including Peter |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Radiation physics |
| Institutions |
|
Early life
editCarl Bjorn Braestrup was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 13, 1897, the son of a Danish naval officer.[1][2] In 1919 Braestrup emigrated to the United States.[1]
He studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), graduating with a bachelor of science from MIT in 1922.[1]
Career
editAfter graduation Braestrup worked as an engineer for Bell Telephone Laboratories and Picker X-Ray Company.[2]
In 1928 he began working part-time for Columbia University in New York City.[1] From 1929 until 1966 he was director of the physics laboratory of the New York Department of Hospitals.[1][2][3]
In the early 1930s Braestrup developed one of the first film badge dosimeter to detect radiation exposure, a design later adopted by the Manhattan Project, the secret project to develop the atomic bomb.[4][2] Braestrup was part of the team at Columbia University taking part in the Manhattan Project.[3] His work focussed on assessing and minimising the radiation hazard to personnel. His involvement in the atomic weapons program continued after the war, working as a consultant during the nuclear testings at Bikini Atoll.[1] From 1952 to 1963 he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee on radiation shielding and plant inspections.[1]
In 1953 Braestrup and D. T. Green patented the Theratron, a machine for irradiating tumours with a focused beam of cobalt radiation which was designed to minimise the exposure to radiation of the health workers applying the treatment.[1][3]
His 1958 book, Radiation Protection, co-authored with Harold Orville Wyckoff, was the first textbook on radiation safety.[3] With Richard T. Mooney, Braestrup investigated x-ray emissions from televisions. Their safety recommendations were adopted by the federal government.[1][3]
Personal life and death
editIn 1928 Braestrup married Elsebet Kampmann. They had two children, their son Peter was a correspondent for The New York Times and The Washington Post.[3][5][6]
Braestrup died on August 8, 1982, aged 85 in Middletown, Connecticut from complications following a stroke.[1][3]
Books
edit- Braestrup, Carl B.; Wyckoff, Harold Orville (1958). Radiation Protection. Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
- Braestrup, C. B.; Vikterlöf, K. J. (1974). Manual on Radiation Protection in Hospitals and General Practice. Vol. 1. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/39917. ISBN 978-9-24-154038-4.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Carl (Bjorn) Braestrup". The Annual Obituary, 1982. St. James Press. 1983. pp. 369–370. ISBN 978-0-912289-01-4 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c d Wyckoff, Harold O. (October 1983). "Carl Bjorn Braestrup: 1897-1982". Radiology. 149 (1): 334. doi:10.1148/radiology.149.1.334-a. ISSN 0033-8419.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Carl Braestrup, 85, Expert on Radiation Who Cited Its Perils". The New York Times. August 10, 1982. pp. B19. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "NYC Department of Hospitals Film Badge (ca. 1930s, 1940s)". Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity. Retrieved August 4, 2023.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths Braestrup, Elsebet Kampmann". The New York Times. January 5, 2003. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Herszenhorn, David M. (August 11, 1997). "Peter Braestrup, 68, War Reporter And Library of Congress Editor". The New York Times. pp. B5. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2023.