Radiological or Nuclear Incidents

Upon completion of this chapter you should be able to  

Discuss methods of attack by radioactive or nuciear devices. 

Discuss how the detection of radiation at a suspicious event wouid change your scene response. Discuss detection devices avaiiabie for identifying radioactive contamination. 

fire service, and law enforcement responders are dispatched to a report of an explosion at an abortion clinic on a Sunday morning. The clinic has been the target of numerous oi nized protests, picketing, death threats, and harassment of the staff. There have been bomb threat hoaxes, and after business hours shots have been fired into the empty clinic. The clinic is a stand-alone structure and is closed and unoccupied at this time. Upon arrival, responders note debris, dust, and glass in the street in front of the facility. A passing motorist reports he smelled the stench of Vomit as he drove by the clinic following the explosion. 

The use of radioactive material is a true terror weapon because it generates fear far out of proportion to the actual hazard, disrupts society, and creates a great economic impact. Radiation is especially frightening because, though it is deadly, human senses cannot detect it. Radiation cannot be seen, smelled, or felt. 

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Jane s Chem—Bio Handbook. 2nd edition (2003) Jane Information Group, Coulsdon, Surrey, UK Malich G, Coupland R, Donelly S, Baker D (2012) A proposal for field—level medical assistance in an international humanitarian response to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear events. Emerg Med J 30 804-808. doi 10.1136/emermed-2012-201915 Murray VSG, Baker DJ (2011) Chemical incidents. In Practical prehospital care the principles and practice of immediate care, Chap. 49. Churchill Livingstone, Elsevier, London, pp 503-513... 

Terrorist threats or incidents using chemical, biological, nuclear / radiological or large explosive devices ... 

Military support to civil authorities is the final tier in the nation s disaster response system. Federal resources that may be implemented in the event of a major biochemical or radiation disaster are the U.S. Army Special Medical Augmentation Response Teams. The mission of the SMART teams is to provide short-duration medical liaison to local, state, federal, and DOD agencies responding to disasters, civil-military cooperative actions, humanitarian assistance missions, weapons of mass destruction incidents, or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive incidents. There are 37 SMART teams, including two burn SMART teams operated by the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical... 

Increases the indemnification for damage outside the United States resulting from a nuclear incident occurring within the United States or involving Federal radiological materials from 100 million to 500 million. 

A nuclear terrorist incident can involve the detonation or threatened detonation of a nuclear bomb or the detonation or threatened detonation of an explosive device that includes nuclear materials. Terrorists could also cause a nuclear incident by detonating an explosive device near a nuclear power plant or attacking nuclear cargo during transport. Terrorists could contaminate food or other products with radioactive materials. Simple radiological devices such as an isotope, if placed in public, could spread radiation without the use of an explosive device. 

The initial management of a suspected accidental or deliberate biological agent release incident will be carried out by the same general principles that apply to all chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents. This has been covered in more detail in Chapter 2. 

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. 

Mission. The joint nuclear accident-coordinating center (JNACC) at the Defense Nuclear Agency will dispatch other radiological assets to aid the incident commander in case of a Broken Arrow. The JNACC is the central agency for the collection, compilation, and maintenance of a nuclear accident response capability (NARCL). It coordinates assistance for accidents or incidents involving radioactive materials, both CONUS and OCONUS. 

There are three phases of a radiological accident early, intermediate, and late. The early phase of an incident is characterized by a need to make immediate decisions about protective actions. These actions are based on a nuclear power plants status and dose projections. Recommendations may be shelter in place or evacuation if the dose is greater than 1 rem. 

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