Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Radiation
Ionising RadiationIonising radiation occurs as either electromagnetic rays (such as X-rays and gamma rays) or particles (such as alpha and beta particles). It occurs naturally (e.g. from the radioactive decay of natural radioactive substances such as radon gas and its decay products) but can also be produced artificially. Everyone receives some exposure to natural background radiation.
Ionising radiation is used in medicine (for diagnosis and treatment), industry (for measurement and other purposes as well as for producing electricity), research and teaching.
Non–Ionising RadiationNon-ionising electromagnetic radiation (NIEMR) is the term used to describe the part of the electromagnetic spectrum covering two main regions, namely optical radiation (ultraviolet (UV), visible and infrared) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) (power frequencies, microwaves and radiofrequencies).
Some common sources of Optical Radiation are the sun, sunbeds and lasers, while some typical sources of EMFs are generated by electrical supply equipment and telecommunications systems.
