Exposure Criteria for Evaluating the Public Consequences of Catastrophic Accidents in Large Nuclear Plants

Abstract

ABS>Various types of direct exposure to the fission product cloud from a catastrophic reactor accident are analyzed and expressed in terms of an acceptable emergency dose (AED) due to 1 c-sec/m/sup 3/ of exposure. The problem of combining these exposures is considered and criterta are suggested for four categories of personal injury. Indirect exposure due to deposition of fission products is also considered and limits are suggested to be associated with evacuation and varying degees of restrictions on the use of land. This paper is a condensation of a more detailed development of exposure criteria included in a study of the consequences of catastrophic reactor accidents carried out by a group at Brookhaven National Laboratory. A very brief summary of the methods and results for the whole study is given in an appendix. (auth)