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Although the lead public health agency for radiation issues is the National Radiation Laboratory, based in Christchurch, Community and Public Health also carries out some activities, including:
- responding to inquiries and complaints
- reviewing resource consent applications relating to ionising and non-ionising radiation and staff may also respond to radiation emergencies.
Ionising radiation is radiation which has sufficient energy to knock electrons out of (i.e. ionise) atoms. X-rays and gamma rays are types of ionising radiation, as are the particulate radiations of alpha and beta particles that are found in some types of nuclear decay. Ionising radiation is what the general public regards as ‘radioactive'.
Non-ionising radiation includes electromagnetic fields in the form of extremely low frequency fields, visible light (including lasers), microwave (including microwave ovens and cell-phone transmissions), radiofrequency fields, ultra violet and infrared.
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Links
National Radiation Laboratory
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