The role of the occupational physician is to provide advice to employers, in areas such as radiation health, health aspects of contingency planning as well as radiation health advice to the worker, both for routine and accidental exposures. These roles require awareness of radiation science and developments in the field. In addition, it is clear that the public will seek advice and information from occupational physicians acknowledged as health professionals with expert knowledge in this area. Radiobiology is a young science, but ionizing radiations represent some of the most studied human hazards. The complex information produced is kept under review by international groups such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), whose recommendations establish the systems of radiation protection for both workers and the public. ICRP recommendations are incorporated into European directives and subsequently into UK statutory instruments [1‐3]. A brief summary of current systems, and some relevant ionizing radiation background information, is available as Supplementary data at Occupational Medicine Online, to assist readers in their use of the expert sections. This review presents the following expert sections. 1. New advances in radiation biology: K. Prise of the