[en] The international body known as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) periodically reviews the effects of ionizing radiation on the environment. Last year, the Committee, for the first time, issued a report that contained a review specifically focused on the effects of ionizing radiation on plants and animals. While the review contained no surprising findings, it does serve to focus attention on the changing nature of the scientific community's assessment of radiation's potential environmental effects. UNSCEAR's latest review was done in response to such concerns, and to demonstrate explicitly that full account can be, and is being, taken of the potential effects of radiation on the environment. It recognizes that the world's plants, animals, and organisms are themselves exposed to internal irradiation from accumulated radionuclides and to external exposure from contamination of their respective environments. This article highlights the main conclusions of UNSCEAR's review