NRPB-W42: Non-technical summary

Non-technical summary

Radioactive materials are present in the environment as a result of naturally radioactive materials and man's activities. The sources of man-made radioactive material include testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, accidents, and discharges from industrial processes. Whatever the source, once present in the environment radioactive materials may enter the human body. This occurs as a result of a person breathing air or eating and drinking food and water containing radioactive materials.

Once the radioactive material has entered the body part or all of it will be quickly removed in the body's waste materials such as urine. The remainder will be stored in various parts of the body, such as the liver, kidneys, bone or teeth, and will eventually also be removed in the body's waste. The amount of time the radioactive material remains inside the human body depends on the bio-chemical properties of the elements which make up the radioactive material. As well as being removed with the body's waste the amount of radioactive material present will reduce because of radioactive decay.

The amounts of radioactive material measured in the body or in waste products are related to the amount originally inhaled or ingested. The potential harm done by the radiation (radiation dose) can be estimated from the amount originally inhaled or ingested and how it is removed from the body.

This report summarises measurements of radioactive material in people or in their waste products which have been published from 1957 to the present day. The reported measurements are mainly for members of the public who are resident in the UK, and not for people whose work brings them into contact with radioactive materials.

Last reviewed: 1 September 2009