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Radioactivity in Scotland’s environment remains well within strict safety limits

The report is produced annually by the UK’s environmental and food safety regulators, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and confirms that no member of the public received a dose anywhere near the statutory annual limit of 1 millisievert from permitted discharges in 2024.

Monitoring by SEPA shows that the highest dose received by any member of the public in Scotland was around 2% of the legal limit (0.02 millisieverts). By comparison, the average person in the UK receives around 2.7 millisieverts a year from all sources of radiation, with 84% of that exposure coming from natural background radiation such as cosmic rays and radon. 

RIFE tracks levels of radioactivity in food, drinking water and the environment to assess any potential impact on human health. The findings show that artificial radioactivity in the environment, such as from historic nuclear industry operations, weapons testing and authorised discharges, accounts for less than 0.3% of overall exposure to the UK population. 

SEPA are responsible for radiological monitoring in Scotland and ensure that permitted sites operate within strict licence conditions. Regular monitoring of areas where people live and work near nuclear facilities provides reassurance that radiation levels remain low and tightly controlled. 

Professor Paul Dale, SEPA Unit Manager Radioactive Substances, said:

“Our extensive monitoring programme continues to demonstrate that doses received by the public from man-made radioactivity remain extremely low. The highest dose recorded was around just 2% of the annual limit.

“For context, that statutory limit of 1 millisievert is roughly a third of what people typically receive each year from natural background radiation alone.

“These results reflect the strength of our regulatory oversight and the ongoing commitment of industry to minimise discharges. We will continue to ensure Scotland’s monitoring and assessment programme remains robust, providing clear reassurance to the public.” 

Notes to editors

RIFE is a joint publication from the UK organisations responsible for ensuring that public exposure to radioactivity from authorised discharges remains within strict international limits. Contributors are: SEPA, the Environment Agency, Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, Natural Resources Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Access the full Radioactivity in food and the environment (RIFE) report on the Gov.Uk website.