Radiation and health

We work to strengthen radiation protection of the public, patients and workers worldwide. We provide Member States with evidence-based guidance, tools and technical advice on public health issues related to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

About us

Technical information

Electromagnetic fields

Environmental radiation exposure

Medical radiation exposure

Optical radiation

Norms and standards

Radiation emergencies

Highlight

Interpreters' booths overlooking a large meeting room

78th World Health Assembly : Member States agree on actions addressing the health impacts of nuclear war

Resolution WHA78.28

News

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8 December 2025

Departmental update

Global experts convene in Vienna to discuss radiation protection in medicine

24 July 2025

Departmental update

WHO unveils health and environment scorecards for 194 countries

3 July 2025

News release

Readout on WHO participation in global nuclear emergency exercise

12 June 2025

Departmental update

WHO’s “Beat the Heat” initiative making strides to protect workers and event participants from extreme heat and related environmental hazards

Events

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Webinar on Ensuring safe care for every newborn and child: A radiation protection perspective

17 September 2025 12:30 – 14:00 CET

Webinar series: Exposure due to radionuclides in food in non-emergency situations

2 – 30 April 2025

Webinar on Improving diagnosis for patient safety in medical imaging

17 September 2024 12:00 – 13:30 CET

Feature

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13 April 2022

Ensuring radiological imaging is ethically provided: new WHO policy brief

Groups and initiatives

BioDoseNet

EMF Project

Global Initiative on Radiation Safety in Health Care Settings

Intersun Programme

REMPAN

Publications

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Heat, air pollution and solar ultraviolet radiation: mass gathering-specific considerations and research gaps

The annually averaged global mean near-surface temperature in 2024 was 1.55 °C ± 0.13 °C above the 1850–1900 average. This made it...

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International travel and health - module 2: environmental health risks

Depending on the health profile of the traveller, the type of travel to be undertaken, and the place of transit and destination, travellers may face various...

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Enhancing radiation safety culture in health care: guidance for health care providers

Radiation safety culture in health care encompasses every action taken to improve the protection and safety of patients and personnel involved in medical...

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The electronic newsletters (e-Newsletters) of the WHO REMPAN network provide a communication platform to share the information and to advocate for the...

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Tools

SunSmart Global UV App

SunSmart Global UV App is a free application for mobile devices that describes the level of solar UV radiation at a specific location. It also provides time slots when to apply sun protection measures, in an effort to reduce the global burden of skin cancer and UV-related eye damage.