Radiation emergency response issues

Human research issues affect all programs in US-EPA. In its Office of Research and Development, US-EPA conducts research with human subjects to provide critical information on environmental risks, exposures, and effects in humans. This is referred to as first-party research. In both its Office of Research and Development and its program offices (including the Office of Air and Radiation, the Office of Water, the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, and the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances), US-EPA also supports research with human subjects conducted by others. This is referred to as second-party research. In aU this work US-EPA is committed to full compliance with the common rule. The US-EPA will continue to conduct and support such research, and to consider and rely on its results in US-EPA assessments and decisions. 

The protective actions available to avoid or reduce radiation dose can be categorized as a function of exposure pathway and incident phase, as shown in Table 5.4-1. Evacuation and sheltering are the principal protective actions for use during the early phase to protect the public from exposure to direct radiation and inhalation from an airborne plume. It may also be appropriate to initiate protective action for the milk supply during this period, and, in cases where emergency response plans include procedures for issuing stable iodine to reduce thyroid dose, this may be an appropriate protective action for the early phase. 

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