Radiological incidents

For the last 5 years under our participation 22 radiological incidents were liquidated. 

The use of radiation dispersal devices, commonly referred to as dirty bombs, is particularly concerning for disaster planning and emergency preparedness personnel. An RDD is an explosive device designed to spread radioactive material without a nuclear explosion (Briggs Brinsfield, 2003). The initial blast from the explosion can kill or inflict mechanical trauma on those who are close in proximity to the explosion while the radioactive material is dispersed. Please refer to chapter 27, Radiological Incidents and Emergencies, for further information on decontamination, radiation sickness, and personal protective measures. 

A radiological incident may be as dramatic as a terrorist attack or as mundane as mild skin contamination from a minor spill. Radiological incidents have resulted in death from radiation sickness, but the vast majority of cases simply require decontamination and monitoring. 

With a very few, specific exceptions, patients involved in radiological incidents pose absolutely no risk to medical staff, who must treat the patient s medical conditions without regard to radiological risks. This chapter will address these and other issues. 

Everyone is chronically exposed to low levels of background radiation, and this exposure appears to have no adverse effects. There are many questions about the effects of exposure to iow levels of radiation above background levels, however, and this is one of the most contentious areas in the radiation safety profession. There are currently two primary models, each of which will be discussed briefly. This section may be of interest to all medical staff because, even in the absence of radiological incidents, most medical personnel are exposed... 

Radiological incidents and emergencies are any such events involving exposure of patients and/or emergency workers to radiation or radioactivity. A radiological incident is any instance in which people or the environment are exposed to radiation or radioactivity through accident or misuse (including deliberate misuse). A radio-... 

The public, emergency responders, and medical personnel often respond inappropriately to radiological incidents and emergencies, owing to widespread misunderstanding of the risks posed by radiation and radioactivity. In particular, members of the public often panic and tend to attribute all real and perceived health problems to the effects of radiation. Emergency response personnel sometimes hesitate to approach the scene of... 

The PHN stationed at the health department should prepare for the dissemination of accurate information to the public-at-large. (See chapter 27, Radiological Incidents and Emergencies, for further discussion.)... 

Establishing the absence of a radionuclide becomes important when radioan-alytical chemistry is used to demonstrate that a radiological incident, such as a threatened terrorist act, did not occur. Absence of a substance in a sample is a relative conclusion that could be altered by a more sensitive measurement. A radionuclide is reported as measured or as less than the lower limit of detection. A more sensitive detection method may replace the less than description with an actual value, or continue to report less than, but at a lower value. Such less than values are based on net count rates that may be zero or a positive value sufficiently near zero that is too uncertain, as discussed in Section 10.4, to be reported. This net count rate can be the difference between the gross count rate and (1) the detector background count rate or (2) the count rate in the sample attributed to background from various sources, as defined above. 

If a radiological incident occurs at the nuclear facility, periodic information concerning the. safety of farm and home grown products will be provided. Information on actions you can take to protect crops and livestock is available from your agricultural extension agent. 

As part of Department of Health Human Services (HHS), CDC would be the chief public health entity to respond to a radiological incident, whether accidental or intentional. As die chief public health entity, CDC s specific roles and responsibilities would include ... 

In the hours and days following a radiological incident, CDC would assist and advise the LFA and the state and local health departments on recommendations that the community would need... 

Has there ever been (or have you heard of) any radiological incident (e.g., ill, criticality, contamination event, etc.) Yes 0 No Ifyes, please describe ... 

In any radiological incident or emergency, the main aim must be to minimise exposures and the spread of contamination. Pre-planning against possible incidents is essential and suitable first-aid facilities should be provided. Where significant quantities of radioactive substances are to be kept, procedures for dealing with fires should be discussed in advance with the local fire service. 

Following the precedent set in the management of physical trauma by the ATLS training, the AHLS courses teach healthcare professionals to medically manage patients exposed to hazardous materials, including chemical, biological and radiological incidents. 

A radiological incident occurs when one or more people are exposed to potentially harmful effects of radiation. There may or may not be... 

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