Urgent Protective Actions Research Articles

Issues of the Nuclear Disaster Core Facility Through Nuclear Disaster Training

Introduction:In addition to national nuclear disaster training, local training is conducted once a year to identify issues with training.Method:The facility is located in the urgent protective action planning zone (UPZ), an exposure medical facility was built in 2015 and has conducted four trainings so far. The fifth training was conducted this time to develop human resources (training), manage equipment and materials, receive medical teams, collaborate with the Advanced Radiation Medical Support Center, review manuals, and inform local residents.Results:There are currently eleven nurses registered as nuclear disaster response nurses at the facility, and two nurses participate in the national nuclear disaster training program each year. On the other hand, unlike physicians and other professionals, the number of nurses enrolled for reasons such as relocation has not increased. The facility also functions as a core hospital in the event of a disaster, and currently has about 30 nurses who are willing to be dispatched in the event of a disaster. It was found that even in core facilities for nuclear disaster response, awareness of nuclear disasters within the facilities is low and few personnel are willing to work there. Previous studies have shown that they are anxious about radiation, the possibility of late effects from low-dose exposure, and concerns about the genetic effects of exposure and its effects on themselves in nursing.Conclusion:As a core facility for nuclear disasters, issues were reported on and identified through training, such as human resource development, management of materials and equipment, and review of manuals.

JRODOS customization for Pakistan and assessment of the consequences of a hypothetical nuclear accident

Since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, decision support systems and modelling tools have been utilized in response to nuclear and radiological emergencies. The java-based real-time online decision support system (JRODOS) is a decision support tool that can be utilised in response to an emergency in managing off-site radiological consequences. This article documents the customization and use of JRODOS for Pakistan. JRODOS was tailored to the local Pakistan conditions, and a case study of a theoretical nuclear power plant accident was used to assess JRODOS’s feasibility as a decision support tool. A worst-case probabilistic accident scenario was used to identify zones and areas where urgent protective actions, early protective actions and food restriction and other response actions could be required. The areas and distances identified for the implementation of protective and response actions for such a hypothetical accident were found to be in agreement with the emergency planning zones and distances suggested by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, the implications of meteorological and source term input parameters on predicting the radiation doses to members of the public were investigated. It was identified that the output of such tools strongly depends on the availability and accuracy of the input parameters, such as radioactive release and meteorological data. Limitations and uncertainties associated with these tools need to be considered in deciding on protective and other response actions in response to a nuclear accident. As established by the IAEA, protective and other response actions need to be applied on a graded approach, taking into account the protection strategy and uncertainties and limitations in the available information and criteria, based on the conditions at the facility and off-site.

A Methodological Tool to Assess Erosion Susceptibility of High Coastal Sectors: Case Studies from Campania Region (Southern Italy)

High coastal sectors constitute the most widespread coastal environment and, under the present accelerated sea-level rise scenario, are suffering huge impacts in terms of erosion. The aim of this paper is the proposal of a new methodological approach for the assessment of their susceptibility to erosive processes. The method is based on the combination of two matrices, i.e., a matrix considering the main physical elements (essentially morphological and geotechnical characteristics) that determine the proneness to erosion of a specific high coastal sector, and a forcing matrix, which describes the forcing agents affecting the considered sector. Firstly, several variables were selected to construct each one of the two matrices according to existing studies and, in a second step, they were interpolated to obtain the susceptibility matrix (CSIx). The approach was applied to Procida Island and Cilento promontory, both located in southern Italy. Results obtained were validated by comparing them with cliff retreat data obtained by means of aerial photographs and satellite images. The analysis shows that the greater part of the analyzed high coastal sectors belongs to the high-susceptibility class due to the combination of adverse morphological, geotechnical and forcing characteristics. Such sectors can be considered “hotspots” that require an increase in monitoring programs and, at places, urgent protective actions.

Comparison of coastal vulnerability assessment for Subang Regency in North Coast West Java-Indonesia

Coastal vulnerability is a spatial concept that can contributes to decision-making processes in managing the coast. Our study aims to compare and evaluate the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) and the weighted CVI (CVIw) along the Subang Regency coastline in northern part of Java Island-Indonesia. We use coastal parameters: coastal relief, morphology, shoreline change, tidal range, sea-level change, wave height, land subsidence, and land use. Then, vulnerability maps are prepared to highlight areas with low, medium, high, and very high vulnerability. The vulnerability parameters map showed that shoreline change, land subsidence, and land use are influencing the vulnerability more than other parameters. The CVIw appears to be more favourable to assess the Subang Coast vulnerability, in which the very high vulnerability (43%) is dominant compared to the CVI (21%). This will require urgent protective action from the coast managers. Both CVI and CVIw have a 21% of very high risk in the same areas (Mayangan, Legon Wetan, and Pangarengan Villages), and these areas need protection from the coastal land loss. Meanwhile, the authority has plans for aquaculture in the area, and we suggest that it should be planned thoroughly to ensure that the practice does not destruct the coasts any further.

Drones application scenarios in a nuclear or radiological emergency

Abstract During a nuclear or radiological emergency, timely implementation of precautionary urgent protective actions, urgent protective actions, early protective actions, and other response actions is inevitable for the protection of the public and the emergency workers. unmanned aerial vehicles commonly known as drones have numerous applications including their use in disaster management for support in early warning, provision of medical aid, monitoring, situational awareness, taking various protective and response actions, and post-accident assessment. In the current study, in comparison to drone applications in response to other disasters, their potential use in response to a nuclear or radiological emergency has been discussed. The drones use in mapping radiation and contamination levels in Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents have already proved their applications in a nuclear or radiological emergency. It is concluded that drones inherently complement the existing disaster management arrangements and have the potential for their use in strengthening arrangements for taking protective and response actions in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency.

Risk perception regarding a nuclear accident and common factors related to health among guardians residing near a restarted nuclear power plant in Japan after the Fukushima accident

Ten years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in Japan, and nine of 33 reactors have gradually been restarted following the new regulations outlined by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. The purpose of the study was to assess the risk perception regarding a nuclear accident and to identify common factors related to health among guardians residing near the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant (GNPP), one of the nuclear power plants restarted after the FDNPP accident. We distributed self-administered questionnaires to approximately 3400 guardians of children in 36 kindergartens located around the GNPP, including the precautionary action zone and the urgent protective action planning zone. We obtained responses from 2249 guardians. Results showed that 58.9% of guardians thought that genetic effects would occur among the generations who were children at the time of the FDNPP accident. In contrast, 28.8% of guardians were anxious about their children consuming foods from Fukushima. Regression analysis showed that females were 1.9 times more anxious about administering prophylactic stable iodine (SI) than male guardians. A total of 1.5 times more female than male guardians considered that genetic effects would occur in the generations who were children at the time of the FDNPP accident. Interestingly, there was no significant relationship between overall risk perception and the distance of guardians’ residence to the GNPP.

Ten years since the Fukushima Daiichi NPP disaster: What's important when protecting the population from a multifaceted technological disaster

Focusing on the Fukushima Daiich nuclear power plant (NPP) disaster, as well experience from other NPP disasters, this paper describes what off-site arrangements for protecting the population were in place prior to the Fukushima Daiichi NPP disaster, what response actions were taken and identifies important insights related to protecting the population in a multifaceted technological disaster. This paper particularly focuses on urgent protective actions, which need to be taken promptly in order to be effective in reducing the risk to the population from ionising radiation: evacuation, sheltering and iodine thyroid blocking (ITB). Many national response arrangements for NPP disasters continue – even 10 years after the Fukushima Daiich NPP disaster – to rely on decision support systems, such as dose projection models, to inform off-site decision-making during the response to a disaster. This is despite experience demonstrating that such models would probably, in most cases, be ineffective early on in the response. The fundamental problem is not the improvement of decision support systems, but the strategy to ensure the effective protection of the population and reduce their risk. This research will help policymakers, environmental scientists, and disaster response planners to focus and prioritise resources on those high-level insights that need to be addressed to ensure effective protection of the population living in the vicinity of an NPP.

Awareness of the implementation of stable iodine prophylaxis by parental guardians living in the urgent protective action planning zone of an operating nuclear power plant in Japan

PurposeThe aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics and awareness of the need for protection against ionizing radiation, such as sheltering, evacuation, and implementing stable iodine prophylaxis, of guardians parenting young children living in an urgent protective action planning zone (UPZ) of an operating nuclear power plant in Japan.MethodsSelf-administered questionnaires were distributed to approximately 3000 guardians through 26 kindergartens located within a UPZ. Responses were obtained from 1172 who lived in the UPZ and were included in the analysis.ResultsOf the 1172 guardians, 460 (39.2%) responded that sheltering is not useful to reduce the dose of radiation exposure. On the other hand, 395 (33.7%) guardians responded that implementing stable iodine (SI) prophylaxis could prevent exposure from all radionuclides, and 876 (74.7%) responded that pregnant women should also implement SI prophylaxis in a nuclear emergency. Furthermore, 83.0% (973) responded that they wanted to receive pre-distribution of stable iodine (PDSI) for their children. On the other hand, 38.9% (456) of guardians had not known about SI before the study, and 71.8% (841) of guardians felt anxious about implementing SI prophylaxis for their children.ConclusionMost guardians had expectations regarding SI and received PDSI, but they felt anxious about implementing SI prophylaxis for their children. It is essential that guardians living in the UPZ of restarted nuclear power plants be educated, and that risk communication about protection against ionizing radiation, including the side effects of implementing SI prophylaxis and radiation health effects, be conducted.

Effect of certain metrological parameters on the extension of urgent protective action zone in Tehran research reactor accidents

In a core melting accident of a reactor, the release of radioactive material into the environment is inevitable. The amount of effective dose received by people around these facilities and consequently the urgent protective action zone (UPZ) strongly depend on the climatic conditions at the time of the accident and afterwards. In this study, the effect of wind speed, air stability class, temperature, and rainfall on the total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) at different time/place intervals of a hypothetical partial core melt accident around a research reactor was investigated using simulation method. The results showed that the stability class E, warm temperature, and light rain could lead to the highest dose of individuals. In addition, very low wind speeds were recommended for the facilities located in cities with high density of high-rise buildings and/or tropical areas in this regard.

Determination of urgent protective action zone in Tehran research reactors-associated accidents

In accidents leading to the release of radioactive materials into the environment, it is of great importance to determine the urgent protective action zone (UPZ) in the emergency preparedness phase. The present study was conducted to determine the radius of this area for a low-power research reactor, taking into account the worst conditions due to a hypothetical partial core melting accident. The UPZ was calculated based on the IAEA recommended generic criteria for the public and emergency workers during an emergency exposure. Furthermore, according to the simulated predictable operational intervention level (OIL) in the emergency response phase, a new criterion for exposure via ground shine (OIL1γ) was proposed in UPZ determination for the individuals in the research reactor-associated accidents.

Risk perception and anxiety regarding radiation among nurses working at Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals in an Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone

Risk perception and anxiety regarding radiation among nurses working at Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals in an Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone

Development of an evaluation method for planning of urgent protection strategies in a nuclear emergency using a level 3 probabilistic risk assessment

ABSTRACT The authors developed an evaluation method for planning urgent protection strategies in a nuclear emergency by using a Level 3 Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) code, OSCAAR. For a given accident scenario, the OSCAAR can calculate received doses in the early phase of a nuclear accident and the dose reduction effect of implementing urgent protective actions such as evacuation, sheltering, and iodine thyroid blocking. The authors considered the combination of these urgent protective actions within a precautionary action zone (PAZ) and an urgent protective action planning zone (UPZ) for an accident scenario and then calculated received doses after implementing these protective actions using the OSCAAR. After that, the authors performed sensitivity analysis for protective action models of the OSCAAR and then optimized the protection strategy by reducing doses to below generic criteria of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Consequently, the effective urgent protection strategy for the accident scenario could be designed, such as precautionary evacuation within the PAZ, and the combination of evacuation after sheltering, sheltering in concrete building, or in normal housing and thyroid blocking within the UPZ. The developed evaluation method will be very useful in developing effective urgent protection strategies for an accident scenario.

OFF-SITE RADIOLOGICAL DOSE ASSESSMENT IN A SEVERE NUCLEAR ACCIDENT OF APR1400.

Shin Kori unit 3 of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. is the pressurized water reactor of advanced power reactor 1400 (APR1400) in the Republic of Korea. A hypothetical accident was assumed for Shin Kori unit 3 to perform the time-dependent dose calculations along with the release rates of radionuclides to the environment. In order to assess the accident scenarios, Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis code was used, which is a set of tools for emergency response applications developed by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A straight-line Gaussian model was used for the near-field atmospheric calculations and a Lagrangian Gaussian puff model was used for the far-field simulations where released radioactive materials to the environment were transported, dispersed and deposited. In this study, long-term station blackout in spring, summer, autumn and winter season was considered in 2016-2018 based on reactor condition and seasonal effects. It was found that the worst season is the spring and the worst scenario found during the evening time of spring in 2017. The calculated maximum values of total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) and thyroid committed dose equivalent (CDE) are 22mSv and 390mSv, respectively, around 5km of precautionary action zone (PAZ) in 2days after the accident. According to Korean regulations on urgent public protective actions, for indoor sheltering, the criteria are 10mSv in 2 days. For public evacuation 50mSv in 1 week and iodine prophylaxis should be introduced if thyroid protection level is 100mSv. Calculated values of TEDE are more than double and thyroid CDE is almost four times in the PAZ compared with Korean regulations; hence, it was found that indoor sheltering and supply of iodine prophylaxis should be executed for short/mid-term protective measures. In this situation, indoor sheltering should be decided by off-site emergency management center, which was accountable for emergency decision-making process in nuclear accident under nuclear safety and security commission in Korea.

Factors affecting anxiety among administrative officers working within the urgent protective action planning zone of a nuclear power station.

The aim of this study was to clarify the factors affecting anxiety among administrative officers working within the urgent protective action planning zone of a nuclear power station to establish an effective education program on radiation and its health effects to help reduce anxiety in residents. We included 1,181 officers who worked at local authorities within the urgent protective action planning zone of Sendai Nuclear Power Station in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex (odds ratio = 2.33), working more than 21 years as an administrative officer (odds ratio = 1.49), lack of participation in training on nuclear disasters (odds ratio = 1.42), and not knowing the three principles of radiation protection (odds ratio = 1.36) were independently associated with anxiety among administrative officers working within the urgent protective action planning zone. It is important to establish an effective education program on radiation and its health effects for administrative officers working within the urgent protective action planning zone to reduce anxiety in residents.

Международные и отечественные подходы к проведению йодной профилактики при аварии ядерного реактора

Purpose: Carry out a comparative analysis of the criteria and practices of conduct Iodine thyroid blocking (ITB) in various countries from the standpoint of WHO publication (2017) “Iodine thyroid blocking. Guidelines for use in planning for and responding to radiological and nuclear emergencies” (WHO Guidelines) and national Rules and requirements 2.6.1.2523-09 (NRB-99/2009) and other documents, including facility and territorial Emergency plans and instructions contained therein. Results: The WHO Guidelines, prepared using the GRADE method, determine the conditional recommendation in favor of conduct ITB in the event of a release of radioactive iodine: “During a radiation or nuclear emergency, the provision of ITB for people who are at risk of exposure to radioactive iodine should be implemented as urgent protective action as part of a justified and optimized protection strategy”. In the WHO Guidelines, such a recommendation is recognized as qualitatively low, and the strength of this recommendation is conditional, due to insufficient data on the use of stable iodine drugs. However, after studying the implementation of this protective measure, it was determined that the benefits of the intervention outweigh the disadvantages and associated costs. The article contains a selective discussion and opinion of the authors on a number of key issues of organization and conduct ITB. Conclusion: A comparative analysis revealed the similarities and differences between foreign and national practices of conduct ITB. The convergence of positions is necessary and aimed at harmonizing national and international criteria and practices. To date, there is no federal level document in the Russian regulatory framework that regulates the planning, organization and conduct of ITB in relation to people who are not associated with work at radiation hazardous facilities and do not live on territories served by the FMBA of Russia. Based on this, a range of priority important issues that need to be addressed has been identified.

Study on the decision-making of the protective action for residents at the early phase of nuclear disaster

ABSTRACT In the nations which have nuclear facilities, the precautionary urgent protective action based on the emergency action levels (EALs) is adopted for the decision-making in the early phase of nuclear disaster in line with the strategy introduced in the Safety Standards of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In this phase, the decision-makers are forced to make choices from the evacuation or the sheltering-in-place as more effective action to reduce the radiation risk of nearby residents, reading situations by EALs. In most cases, the procedure to select these two actions is monotonously set across the whole of region in those nations. Therefore, we developed the decision-making method which can reflect the accident scenarios and the regional characteristics such as population and geographic aspects in evaluating the risk of the exposure during evacuation. The method consists of two procedures; the procedure to evaluate the containment vessel (CV) failure time and the evacuation time , and the procedure to determine the time allowance from EALs, and . We confirmed the rational treatments of uncertainties on the time allowance which deduced by integrating the severe accident analysis and the evacuation time estimate. We also found the effectiveness of this method by applying it to two sample areas.

Approaches to the Establishment and Justification of the Size of Emergency Planning Areas around NPPs

Emergency planning zones around facilities that use radiation and nuclear technologies are set up in order to prevent or minimize deterministic effects and reduce risks of stochastic effects of radiation exposure in case of nuclear or radiological emergency. In international practice, in order to enhance effectiveness of response to emergencies, it is common to set up emergency planning zones for nuclear facilities in accordance with their level of threat for the environment and public. As the establishment of such zones requires certain material resources, the size of the zones is to be justified.
 As of today, sanitary-protective zone and monitoring zone in Ukraine could be considered, to a certain extent, as analogues of such emergency planning zones. However, the main functional load of these zones are relevant more for routine operation of nuclear facilities than for the issues of emergency planning and do not have such a specific for the emergency planning zones functions as ensuring necessary infrastructure for conducting such urgent protective actions as evacuation, sheltering, notification, relocation and others in case of severe accidents at NPPs.
 Absence of transparent numerical criteria for determining the size of emergency planning areas, on one hand, and necessity to determine such areas as required by the key IAEA publication GSR Part 7, as well as due to understanding the importance of emergency planning areas in the state emergency response system, on the other hand, make the task on establishing approaches to the definition of the scope of emergency release, which is a framework for emergency zoning, crucial.
 The paper proposes to discuss two approaches to defining the scope of the boundary release, according to which the size of the emergency planning areas is to be defined. The paper presents results of assessing the size of the emergency planning areas around NPPs based on the scope and radionuclide composition of the boundary release.

Risk perceptions regarding radiation exposure among Japanese schoolteachers living around the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant after the Fukushima accident.

In response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan issued the new “Nuclear Emergency Response Guideline.” However, there is a perception that scientific information about the health impact of radiation exposure has not been adequately shared among the local government staffs, including schoolteachers. We contacted schoolteachers at all 120 schools within the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant, Kagoshima prefecture, in 2017. We invited them to take part in a written survey to clarify their concerns and risk perceptions regarding the effects of radiation exposure on health. Five hundred and fifty schoolteachers’ replies were included in the analysis. The results revealed that 355 schoolteachers had concerns about the health effects of radiation exposure due to working within the Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone. A logistic regression analysis revealed that sex (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.49–3.45, p < 0.001), age (OR = 3.39, 95% CI: 2.10–5.47, p < 0.001), reluctance to undergo a radiological examination at a hospital (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.23–2.88, p = 0.004), place of work (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.46–3.27, p < 0.001), and anxiety about having to address questions about radiation from students (OR = 4.66, 95% CI: 2.83–7.67, p < 0.001) were independently associated with schoolteachers’ concerns about the health effects of radiation exposure due to working in the area around the nuclear power plant. Therefore, it is important to respond to these concerns in order to establish a meaningful education program for school children on radiation and its health effects.

Nuclear accident consequence assessment in Hong Kong using JRODOS

The JRODOS (Java-based Real-time Online DecisiOn Support) is a decision support system for off-site emergency management for releases of radioactive material into the environment. This paper documents the application of JRODOS by the Hong Kong Observatory in accident consequence assessment and emergency preparedness studies. For operational considerations, the most computational efficient dispersion model in JRODOS, ATSTEP, is adopted. Verification studies for JRODOS's ATSTEP model have been conducted. Comparison with tracer experiment results showed that under neutral atmospheric conditions and distances up to 50 km, the JRODOS simulation outputs were in general of the same order of magnitude with the tracer data. To further evaluate the capability of JRODOS in short-range simulation, a case study on the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident was also carried out. JRODOS was able to produce realistic simulation results which were comparable to the actual airborne monitoring data of the Cs-137 ground deposition from the Fukushima accident.Furthermore, the results of a comprehensive study to assess the potential consequences of accidents at a nearby nuclear power station are presented. Simulation using the French S3 source term for the Guangdong Nuclear Power Station at Daya Bay showed that the projected effective doses within Hong Kong remain far below the IAEA generic criteria of projected dose for urgent protective actions in sheltering/evacuation, while the projected equivalent dose in thyroid may meet the IAEA generic criteria for use of thyroid blocking agent at some areas in the northeastern part of Hong Kong, at distances of up to about 40 km from Daya Bay depending on the prevailing weather conditions in different seasons.

The Estimated Evacuation Time for the Emergency Planning Zone of the Kori Nuclear Site, with a Focus on the Precautionary Action Zone

Background: The emergency planning zone (EPZ) of the city of Busan is divided into the precautionary actions zone (PAZ) and the urgent protective action planning zone; which have a 5-km radius and a 20-km to 21-km radius from the nuclear power plant site, respectively. In this study, we assumed that a severe accident occurred at Shin-Kori nuclear unit 3 and evaluated the dispersion speed of radiological material at each distance at various wind speeds, and estimated the effective dose equivalent and the evacuation time of PAZ residents with the goal of supporting off-site emergency action planning for the nuclear site. Materials and Methods: The total effective dose equivalent, which shows the effect of released radioactive materials on the residents, was evaluated using the RASCAL 4.2 program. In addition, a survey of 1,036 residents was performed using a standardized questionnaire, and the resident evacuation time according to road and distance was analyzed using the VISSIM 6.0 program. Results and Discussion: According to the results obtained using the VISSIM and RASCAL programs, it would take approximately 80 to 252.2 minutes for permanent residents to move out of the PAZ boundary, 40 to 197.2 minutes for students, 60 to 232.2 minutes for the infirm, such as elderly people and those in a nursing home or hospital, and 30 to 182.2 minutes for those temporarily within the area. Consequently, in the event of any delay in the evacuation, it is estimated that the residents would be exposed to up to 10 mSv·h-1 of radiation at the Exclusion Area Boundaries (EAB) boundary and 4-6 mSv·h-1 at the PAZ boundary. Conclusion: It was shown that the evacuation time for the residents is adequate in light of the time lapse from the initial moment of a severe accident to the radiation release. However, in order to minimize the evacuation time, it is necessary to maintain a system of close collaboration to avoid traffc congestion and spontaneous evacuation attempts.