Civil Protection Department

Radiation is usually classified on the basis of the effects it produces when interacting with matter: Therefore, one speaks of ionising radiation or non-ionising radiation. The latter includes phenomena such as ultra-violet light, radiant heat and microwaves. Ionising radiation, instead, includes phenomena such as cosmic rays, X-rays and radioactivity deriving from radioactive material. This includes:

• Phenomena not connected to human activities (such as cosmic rays and radiation from radioactive material contained in the earth, for example). In this case, the term natural radioactivity is normally used;
• Phenomena where the production of radioactive material is caused by human activities (such as X-rays for medical use). In this case, the term artificial radioactivity is normally used.

This section is dedicated exclusively to ionising radiation, with particular regard to artificial radioactivity, and the management of risks connected to the exposure of the population to this form of radiation.
In this context, radiological risk is the risk represented by the unlawful or accidental exposure to artificial radioactivity. If fissile matter (uranium and plutonium in particular) is involved in the exposure, we are dealing with a nuclear risk.