These web pages have been developed to provide background information on the nature and health effects of ionising radiations, the levels of radiation to which we are exposed in everyday life, the consequences of the various major radiation accidents that have occurred over the last 60 years, and the health consequences of those accidents relative to other natural and manmade disasters. The figure shows the overall structure of the web pages.
Overall, the intention is to provide information relevant to the planning of remediation work and for use in communicating with local people.
The information provided is technical in nature, but the aim has been to ensure that it is understandable by non-specialists. For those who are unfamiliar with the nature of ionising radiations and their health effects, the green branch of the tree should be visited first. This also defines various technical terms used on the other pages. For everyday exposures to ionising radiations, the yellow branch of the tree provides the required information, whereas for radiation and other accidents the orange branch should be consulted. Information on international regulatory guidance plus national legislation and regulations is given in the blue branch. Overview information on approaches to remediation following a major radiation accident is given in the light brown branch.
In all branches, overview information is provided at the highest level of the hierarchy, with more detailed information at the lower level where this is present.