Development of the triage, monitoring and treatment Handbook for Members of the Public Affected by Radiological Terrorism - A European Response
- Enviros Consulting Limited, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX (United Kingdom)
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN), Radiation Protection Div., Mol (Belgium)
European national emergency response plans have long been focused on accidents at nuclear power plants. Recently, the possible threats by disaffected groups have shifted the focus to being prepared also for malevolent use of radiation that are aimed at creating disruption and panic in the society. The casualties will most likely be members of the public. According to the scenario, the number of affected people can vary from a few to mass casualties. The radiation exposure can range from very low to substantial, possibly combined with conventional injuries. There is a need to develop practicable tools for the adequate response to such acts and more specifically to address European guidelines for triage, monitoring and treatment of exposed people. Although European countries have developed emergency response plans for nuclear accidents they have not all made plans for handling malevolent use of radioactive material. Indeed, there is a need to develop practical guidance on emergency response and medical treatment of the public affected by malevolent acts. Generic guidance on this topic has been published by international organisations. They are, however, not operational documents to be used in emergency situations. The Triage, Monitoring and Treatment (TMT) Handbook aims to strengthen the European ability to efficiently respond to malevolent acts in terms of protecting and treating exposed people. Part of the Handbook is also devoted to public information and communication issues which would contribute to public reassurance in emergency situations. The Handbook will be drafted by European and international experts before it is circulated to all emergency response institutions in Europe that would be a part of the handling of malevolent acts using radioactive material. The institutions would be given a 6 months consultation time with encouragement to test the draft Handbook in national exercises. A workshop will allow feedback from these end users on the content, structure and usefulness of the Handbook before a final version is produced. In order to achieve the project's objectives a consortium has been drawn together including, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland, the UK Health Protection Agency, the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection of Poland and the World Health Organisation. Enviros Consulting is acting as the technical secretariat for the project. The Handbook will aim to harmonise the approaches to handling malevolent acts across Europe. This harmonisation will have an added value on the public confidence in authorities since differing approaches in neighbouring countries could lead to public confusion and mistrust. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21290810
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-07201; TRN: US10V0135038221
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'07: 2007 Waste Management Symposium - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 10 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Managing Low-Level Waste at Dounreay - 16269
THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY LOOKS AT CIVIL DEFENSE