Radiation

Environmental Health Branch provides information and advice about radiation risks. In NSW radiation is regulated by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA ), as part of the Health and Ageing Portfolio, is a Federal Government agency charged with responsibility for protecting the health and safety of people, and the environment, from the harmful effects of radiation.

Radiation is energy. The health effects of radiation vary depending where on the spectrum the energy level is. Very high energy radiation, arising from radioactive substances or used for Xrays, is called ionising radiation. Other parts of the spectrum are called non-ionising radiation. Examples of this are radiowaves (used for mobile phones), low frequency radiation (found with power transmission) and sunlight.

Radiation has many positive uses in our society. Some types of radiation however are also known to damage human cells, so exposure should be minimised. Examples of radiation that damage cells are radioactive substances, Xrays and sunlight.

See also:

Fact sheet on Full Body Scan and Virtual Colonoscopy Health Risks.