Abstract
AbstractIf radionuclides are released into a rural area as a result of a nuclear or radiological emergency (NRE), statutory food restrictions will be issued for places where activity concentrations of one or more radionuclides exceed operational intervention levels (OILs) in foodstuffs. The areas subject to food restrictions may be large, and for some long-lived radionuclides, there is potential for a wide range of food production systems to be disrupted for many years, unless some form of intervention is undertaken. A large number of management options for use in contaminated intensive livestock production, backyard farms and free-ranging livestock have been developed, for application pre-deposition, through to the late phase. As each NRE will be different in terms of its radiological composition and impact on the food chain, it is not possible to establish a generic strategy. Consequently, handbooks for food production systems have been developed to guide decision-makers in the selection and combining of management options, to ensure radionuclides remain below OILs. The handbooks include a stepwise process to progressively evaluate options and eliminate those deemed unsuitable, ultimately providing a short list of options on which to base the recovery strategy.
Highlights
If radionuclides are released into a rural area as a result of a NRE, precautionary advice, including food restrictions, will be issued for places where permitted levels of radioactivity in food may be exceeded
A shortened version of the template has been used for the purposes of this book to provide some generic information on the management options that are applicable to animal production systems
Step Action 1 Identify one or more production systems that are likely to be/have been contaminated 2 Refer to selection tables for either milk or meat production systems. These selection tables provide a list of relevant management options, including those for waste disposal 3 Refer to look-up tables showing applicability of management options for each radionuclide 4 Refer to look-up tables showing key constraints for each management option 5 Refer to look-up table showing typical effectiveness of each management option 6 Refer to look-up table showing whether options incur additional doses to those involved in their implementation either directly or through the management of any secondary wastes 7 Refer to individual datasheets for remaining options and note any additional constraints 8 Based on the outputs from Steps 1 to 7, select and combine options that should be considered as part of the recovery strategy
Summary
If radionuclides are released into a rural area as a result of a NRE, precautionary advice, including food restrictions, will be issued for places where permitted levels of radioactivity in food may be exceeded. Preliminary monitoring data may be available to help inform decisions on whether statutory food restrictions are required. These restrictions identify specific areas where activity concentrations of one or more radionuclides exceed OILs in foodstuffs. The areas subject to food restrictions may be large, and for some long-lived radionuclides, there is potential for a wide range of food production systems to be disrupted for many years, unless some form of intervention is undertaken. The implementation of management options is one form of protective action that will reduce the activity concentrations of radionuclides in foodstuffs to below OILs, thereby providing reassurance to consumers and sustaining production and livelihoods
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