Radiation and Health

  • Radiation and Life

    An overview of radiation, radioactive decay, the health effects of radiation and the regulations put in place to protect people.

  • Nuclear Radiation and Health Effects

    Natural sources account for most of the radiation we all receive each year. Up to a quarter originates mainly from medical procedures. Radiation protection standards assume that any dose of radiation, no matter how small, involves a possible risk to human health. This deliberately conservative assumption is increasingly being questioned.

  • Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials NORM

    Radioactive materials which occur naturally and where human activities increase the exposure of people to ionising radiation are known by the acronym 'NORM'. NORM results from activities such as burning coal, making and using fertilisers, oil and gas production.

  • Occupational Safety in Uranium Mining

    There has been more than 40 years of experience in applying international radiation safety regulations at uranium mines. Uranium mining companies have taken steps to reduce radiation doses wherever and whenever they can.

  • Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Subsequent Weapons Testing

    Two atomic bombs made from uranium 235 and plutonium 239 were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively early in August 1945. The atmospheric testing of some 545 nuclear weapons continued up to 1963