Severe deterministic effects of external exposure and intake of radioactive material: basisfor emergency response criteria

Abstract

Lessons learned from responses to past events have shown that more guidance is needed forthe response to radiation emergencies (in this context, a ‘radiation emergency’means the same as a ‘nuclear or radiological emergency’) which could lead tosevere deterministic effects. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)requirements for preparedness and response for a radiation emergency, inter alia,require that arrangements shall be made to prevent, to a practicable extent, severedeterministic effects and to provide the appropriate specialised treatment for theseeffects. These requirements apply to all exposure pathways, both internal andexternal, and all reasonable scenarios, to include those resulting from maliciousacts (e.g. dirty bombs). This paper briefly describes the approach used to developthe basis for emergency response criteria for protective actions to prevent severedeterministic effects in the case of external exposure and intake of radioactivematerial.