The Radiation Threats and Hazards HPRU's People are exposed daily to natural radiation sources as well as human-made sources. While ionising radiation may be powerful enough to break chemical bonds in the body, non-ionising radiation does not do that but may affect health in other ways. Natural radiation comes from many sources including radioactive materials found in soil, water and air. Human-made sources of ionising radiation range from nuclear power generation to medical uses for diagnosis or treatment e.g. X-ray machines and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners, while non-ionising radiation is emitted from communication devices such as mobile phones. There is also a constant very small but non-zero risk of radiation accidents or unexpected releases, for example in industry.

Though we know lots about how exposure to radiation is linked to health, there are still many unanswered questions, including how ionising radiation affects the skin, heart and brain, how we can protect individuals who have different levels of sensitivity to radiation, and how best to work with the public following a radiation emergency.

Through this HPRU, we will find out more about how radiation exposures are linked to health and use this knowledge to provide best advice to the public, radiation workers and patients and improve health protection policies and planning, including in the event of a radiation emergency.

We propose four research Themes:

I. Long-term risks associated with ionising radiation, both for patients and for people working with radiation.

II. Mechanisms and biological signals (biomarkers), to help understand how radiation affects health.

III. Radiation releases: Accidents and incidents, focused on improving the response to radiation emergencies in different settings.

IV. Effects of non-ionising radiation exposures on health, looking at mobile phones and similar technologies, and effects of light exposures on the skin.

The team brings together researchers with complementary skills from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the university sector working on lots of different aspects of how radiation affects health in the short-, medium- and long-term, and how best to protect people.

We will work closely with the other HPRUs and NIHR facilities to ensure we get the highest possible value from our HPRU. We will communicate the results to patients, the public and people working with radiation, using our website, the traditional media, social media, and face-to-face meetings and workshops on specific topics. We will also produce plain English summaries of all our research. We will ensure wide dissemination of our findings to government departments and committees, the scientific community and policy makers through our Knowledge Mobilisation programme.

We will provide a supportive and nurturing environment for our staff and students and deliver a high-quality training programme focused on the science, learning transferrable skills, mentoring and leadership, with strong emphasis on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and public and patient involvement in all our work.Members of the Public and Community Oversight Group of the current HPRU in Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards have contributed to the preparation of this summary.

In collaboration with Imperial College London, King's College London, Institute of Cancer Research London (ICR), and University of Cambridge.