What is ionising and non-ionising radiation?
Radiation is defined as energy that is transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles and can be either ionising or non-ionising. Ionising radiation is any form of radiation with sufficient energy to remove electrons from atoms, producing charged particles known as ions. It can consist of high-energy particles (electrons, protons or alpha particles) or short wavelength electromagnetic radiation (X-rays and gamma rays). The various types of ionising radiation cause different levels of damaging biological effects, which depend on the energy level, penetration and dose. Exposure may be through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion. The health effects can be broadly grouped into deterministic and probabilistic effects. The severity of deterministic effects (such as cataracts and skin inflammation) is dependent on dose and there may be a threshold dose below which effects are not seen. Probabilistic effects (including various cancers) are not thought to have any threshold and it is o
