Radiation Awareness

At a Glance

In accordance with the responsibilities placed on Local Authorities under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness & Public Information) Regulations 2001, this information has been reproduced directly from the NRPB (National Radiological Protection Board) 'At A Glance' series leaflet, providing information about radiation, the types of accidents that can occur and the countermeasures that might be taken in the event of a radiation emergency which will address the duties placed on the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Types of Incident

Although nuclear plants are designed to ensure that accidents affecting the public are highly unlikely. It is prudent to have plans to deal with them. Accidents have occurred, notably at Windscale, UK in 1957, Three Mile Island, USA in 1979 and Chernobyl, USSR in 1986. Satellites containing radioactive materials have crashed to earth, as in Canada in 1978. Transport and military activities can lead to accidents, as can industrial and medical uses of radiation.

When radioactive materials are released in an accident people can be irradiated in the following ways:

• through breathing,
• by direct radiation from radioactive materials carried in the air and deposited on surfaces,
• by eating and drinking food and water containing radioactive materials.

Countermeasures

The following action could be taken to reduce doses.

Sheltering

Staying in with doors and windows closed provides short-term protection from breathing in radioactive material in the air. It also gives protection from direct radiation from radioactive material in the air and on the ground.

Evacuation

Evacuation avoids relatively high short-term exposures by taking people away from the affected area.

Stable Iodine

Iodine collects in the thyroid gland. Taking stable (non-radioactive) iodine tablets prevents this happening with radioactive iodine released in reactor accidents. Taking stable iodine is combined with sheltering or evacuation.

Food

Radioactive material deposited on soil or grass finds its way into food through crops and animals. It might be necessary to ban milk or other foods containing too much radioactive material.

Standards

Planners and decision makers must ensure that in an emergency the most appropriate countermeasures are taken. Any action to protect the public will have benefits but also harm connected with it. Action is taken when the benefits outweigh the harm.

NRPB specifies upper and lower values of radiation dose, called Emergency Referenced Levels (ERLs), for the introduction of particular countermeasures.

NRPB ERLs span the range of doses that would be appropriate for different sites and situations. They help emergency planners to set up the right levels (called Action Levels) for their situation.

The European Commission has laid down upper limits of radioactive materials in food. In an emergency, food above these limits could not be sold.

Emergency Plans

The main elements of the emergency plan for a typical UK nuclear plant are similar to that for any major emergency. For further details on emergency planning, please refer to our main page and email your requests.

Contact

Email: EmergencyPlanning@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk