Samantha Watson works in the Radiation Assessments Department of the UK Health Security Agency( UKHSA) and is a member of the Magazine Committee.

As I paid for a drink, the barman asks what I do, showing concern at the mention of radiation”. I reassure him that I don ' t go anywhere near radiation in my work.“ Good,” he replies,“ But then we don ' t have any radiation in the UK, do we?”

Taken aback, I explained that yes, some of our electricity comes from nuclear power, radiation is used in various forms in medicine and many industries, and is in the natural environment. I saw recognition on his face about using radiation in medicine, but otherwise he seemed very surprised. This got me thinking. Was he unusual? How much does the average person on the street know about uses of radiation? How much do they approve?

I think almost everyone, including young children, is familiar with the use of radiation in medicine, if only for diagnostic X-rays. People may have heard of radiotherapy and possibly nuclear medicine, though their understanding is probably limited. Most people accept that improving health care is a good use of radiation, and worth some risks. Nuclear power elicits mixed opinions though. Fears generated by accidents at Chornobyl and, more recently, Fukushima are still tangible.

sustainable source of power and generates jobs. Opposition was most commonly linked with concerns about safety and security, and the impact on the local environment.

Nuclear waste disposal seems to be still more controversial. Lack of public acceptance has blocked development of nuclear waste facilities in multiple countries. Finding a solution for higher activity radioactive waste disposal in the UK has proved to be a lengthy process, with the“ Not in My Backyard” attitude being common.

I suspect there is less concern over natural sources than for artificial ones. However, natural radon gas gives the largest contribution to the average total ionising radiation exposure in the UK. There has been a recent rise in use of items, including naturally radioactive ones, claiming to protect from non-ionising mobile phone radiation. Radiation levels from such items may be very low, but I wonder why society openly embraces some radiation sources and rigidly distrusts others. Is there any real understanding of what is being accepted or rejected? I guess we need to keep up public communication a while longer then!

Samantha’ s views are her own and she is not representing UKHSA in this article.

A 2024 government survey regarding support for constructing a new nuclear power station showed overall support of 21 % and opposition of 41 %. The most common reasons for support were that nuclear is a

16 Radiation Protection Today www. srp-rpt. uk