IAEA Post Graduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection

IAEA Post Graduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources PART IX: EMERGENCY EXPOSURE SITUATIONS Module 3 Basic Concepts for Emergency preparedness and Response for a nuclear accident or radiological emergency Lecture 1 Concepts and objectives of Emergency Preparedness and Response

Introduction l Despite precautions that are taken during s Design s Operations of nuclear facilities s Conduct of nuclear activities the possibility remains that s Failure s Intentional act or s Mishap leads to emergency! l Objectives of the lecture: n n Goals of emergency preparedness Response in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 2

Content l Goals of emergency preparedness and response l Detailed explanation of each individual goal n Lessons learned associated with each goal l Summary Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 3

Goals of Emergency Response l Safety Fundamentals publication in regard to radiation sources n n Protection objective: s Prevent occurrence of deterministic effects (Keep doses below relevant threshold) s Ensure all reasonable steps taken to reduce occurrence of stochastic effects Safety objective: s Protect individuals, society and environment (establish and maintain effective defences against radiological hazards) Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 4

Goals of Emergency Response (1) l • Safety Fundamentals regarding nuclear installations n Radiation protection objective: s Ensure …. mitigation of the radiation consequences of any emergency Technical safety objective: • Take all reasonably practical measures to prevent emergencies in nuclear installations and mitigate their consequences should they occur … Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 5

Practical Goals of Emergency Response l Preparedness and Response Safety Requirements from GS-R-2 states n Regain control of the situation n Take mitigatory action at the scene n Prevent deterministic effects n Render first aid and treat radiation injuries n Reasonably reduce stochastic effects n Reasonably limit non-radiological effects n Reasonably protect the environment n Reasonably prepare for the resumption of normal activity Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 6

Regain Control of the Situation l Responsibility of the operator (people at the scene) l Immediate action to prevent or reduce the release of radioactive material l Prevent / limit exposures of workers and the public to radiation l Regaining prompt control of the situation requires n n Immediate action by operator Direct immediate mitigatory actions Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 7

Take Mitigatory Action at the Scene l l l Responsibility of the operator (people at the scene) Immediate actions n Prevent / reduce releases Prevent exposures to radiation and other hazards associated with emergency n Earthquake n Hurricane n Flood n Fire damage Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 8

Take Mitigatory Action at the Scene (1) l Experience shows facilities must have predefined emergency procedures in order to n Recognize emergency conditions n Direct immediate mitigatory actions n Address serious but very unlikely emergencies n Consider all aspects of mitigatory actions and conditions present during an emergency n Have required immediate actions performed by operator Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 9

Lessons Learned l During several emergencies staff could not mitigate the problem for following reasons n Did not know what actions to take to solve problem n Over confident or unsure n Did not have the necessary equipment required n Did not have the necessary protection required n Off-site support was not obtained promptly n Off-site support was not prepared Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 10

Prevent Deterministic Health Effects l Take urgent protective actions to keep the dose below the deterministic effects threshold n Best accomplished by taking actions before release or exposure when severe conditions detected in facility l Immediate response required by operator Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 11

Lessons Learned (1) l Experience shows workers who responded to emergencies were at greatest risk because: n Did not know what to do n Were not provided with appropriate equipment (monitoring devices, dosimeters, protective clothing) n All possible people/conditions were not considered s In plant operators s Off-site responders s People in near-by areas Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 12

Render First Aid and Treat Radiation Injuries l Immediate response needed l First to arrive immediately provides emergency aid to treat life threatening injuries l Specialized treatment of contamination and radiation injuries n n n l Triage injured patients Decontaminate Obtain specialist assistance Experience shows n n Fear of radiation may interfere with initial treatment Severe radiation injuries require specialized treatment Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 13

Lessons Learned (2) l Poor medical treatment of overexposure n n Facility and local medical staff did not gather information to determine appropriate treatment Local medical staff treated overexposure without consulting experts Medical personnel may not be willing to treat – if not trained Result - much unnecessary suffering Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 14

Reasonably Reduce Stochastic Effects l Take actions to projected dose consistent with international guidance l Develop OILs for use during an emergency l Taking actions at much lower levels does more harm (psychological & economic) than good (reduction in cancer risk) l Experience shows you can not develop reasonable criteria during an emergency n Criteria must be developed in advance as part of preparedness Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 15

Reasonably Limit Non-radiological Effects l Includes unwarranted n n n l Relocation (loss of income and home) Abortions Restriction on sale of local goods Caused by Developing criteria at time of emergency n Poor communication with the media and the public n Unrealistic fears of radiation due to conflicting and non-informative information from the technical community n So-called experts resulting in inappropriate actions taken to address radiological concerns n Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 16

How to Reduce Psychological Effects l Provide on-going, regular updates on the emergency to n n People who may be affected People who think they may be affected l Give clear, simple and timely advice l Make sure that information is consistent n l l Single authority for information Promptly correct false information Ensure protective actions are justified Do not compromise the recovery Consider education and counselling Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 17

A Call from CNN is an Emergency l There will be significant media and public reaction to actual or perceived risk l Poor response can have very severe consequences l All facilities need some preparations n n n Local population and officials must be informed of nature and risk of the operations Must have provision for immediate response to media inquires Response should be coordinated locally and from single location Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 18

Reasonably Protect the Environment l Limit the spread of contamination l Take actions to reduce impact l Control access to n n l Agriculture and water supplies Forestry, fisheries and natural environment Transportation and trade Manage waste Do not compromise the recovery Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 19

Reasonably Prepare for Resumption of Normal Activity l Resumption of normal life is essential to eliminating many of the non-radiological consequences l Experience shows if there is not an existing criteria, people may delay returning back to normal life because: n concern about contamination n misconceptions about risks l Experience shows we (radiation community) can not say enough is enough n But need to! Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 20

Experience Shows l Have procedures and training ready if immediate response is needed n In many emergencies – inappropriate immediate actions resulted in emergency or made the emergency worse n Examples: TMI & Chernobyl NPP accidents, San Salvador irradiation facility s Staff did not recognize the problem s Did not recognize severe conditions s Did not know what initial action to take l Planning and classification (criteria, actions) are needed s Emergency Action Levels (EALs) and corresponding actions Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 21

Experience Shows (1) l Be prepared for later response if needed n In many emergencies –criteria for long term actions (e. g. , relocation, compensation, medical screening) were not justified and may have done more harm than good n Difficult if not impossible to develop justified criteria at the time of emergency s Emotional atmosphere s Loss of trust s Political pressure n Develop criteria for long term action in advance Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 22

Experience Shows (2) l Lack of coordinated response n Many locations being used to coordinate response and make public statements s Owner/operator s National officials s Local official l Result n Confusion n Inconsistent public statements n Loss of trust Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 23

Post-emergency Preparedness Goal l Preparedness goal n Ensure that arrangements are in place to s Protect public health s Public welfare and the environment n Develop and implement s Justified and optimized long-term countermeasures in a managed, controlled, coordinated and effective way Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 24

Post-emergency Response Goals l Response goals are to n n Reduce the occurrence of adverse health effects in emergency workers and the public Limit the occurrence of other adverse consequences of the radiation emergency and protective actions taken Protect the environment Achieve resumption of "normal" living conditions Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 25

Justification and Optimization of Intervention Measures towards undertaking interventions are governed by the principles in Safety Fundamentals publication on Radiation Protection and the Safety of Radiation Sources These principles are n n Justification of intervention s Any proposed intervention shall do more good than harm Optimization of intervention s Intervention shall be optimized so net benefit is maximized Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 26

Achieving the Goals of Emergency Preparedness l Goals of emergency response most likely to be achieved in accordance with the principles for intervention by having a sound programme for emergency preparedness in place as part of the infrastructure for protection and safety l Emergency preparedness helps to build confidence that an emergency response would be managed, controlled and coordinated effectively Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 27

To Conclude l Practical goal of emergency preparedness may be expressed as To ensure that arrangements are in place for a timely, managed, controlled, coordinated and effective response at the scene and at the local, regional, national and international level, to any nuclear or radiological emergency Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 28

Conclusion: Why Plan and Prepare? l Because emergencies happen l Because planning helps to save lives and to minimize risks to health and environment l Because a response with planning costs less than a response without planning l Because a response without plans can affect the credibility of authorities Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 29

Summary l l Events requiring an immediate and planned response can occur Poor response can result in n Significant health, psychological or financial consequences Some planning is always needed Adequate preparations must be established and maintained for response to emergencies at n n n l Local National International level Nature and extent of emergency arrangements must match the potential magnitude and nature of the hazard associated with the facility or activity Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 30

Questions and Additional Information l Why is planning required? l What emergencies should emergency plans be based on? l List the practical goals of emergency response l For additional information, see references on the cover page Module IX. 3 - Basic Concepts 31