IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

Termination of a

Nuclear or Radiological Emergency

and subsequent transition to a long-term recovery

Presentation for the Technical Meeting on

Remediation Techniques and Strategies in Post-Accident Situations

by the Incident and Emergency Centre

Vienna, July 2016

IAEA

Introduction

• Requirement 18 of GSR Part 7:

• The government shall ensure that

arrangements are in place and are

implemented for the termination of a

nuclear or radiological emergency,

with account taken of the need for

the resumption of social and

economic activity.

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Introduction (cont.)

• Requirement 46 of GSR Part 3

The government shall ensure that

arrangements are in place and are

implemented as appropriate for the

transition from an emergency

exposure situation to an existing

exposure situation.

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Objective

• To raise awareness on:

Need to resume as normal as possible social

and economic activity following the emergency

Arrangements needed to terminate the

emergency and to allow for subsequent

transition to:

A planned exposure situation

An existing exposure situation

Preconditions to be fulfilled for the emergency to

be terminated

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Content

• Main goal

• Transition to different exposure situations

• International requirements

• Criteria for terminating an emergency

• Arrangements at the preparedness stage

• Timeframes for terminating an emergency

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Goal of emergency response

• Para. 3.2 of GSR Part 7

“To prepare, to the extent

practicable, for the

resumption of normal social

and economic activity.”

• Req. 18 of GSR Part 7

addresses this goal

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Safety Requirements

• Preparations for this need to be part of overall emergency preparedness at all levels

• Take account of the fact that termination and the subsequent transitioning can happen at different times at different geographical areas

• Termination of an emergency and the subsequent transitioning need to be planned in the preparedness phase and made formally in an emergency

• Declaration of termination is end of transitioning and beginning of new (planned or existing) exposure situation

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Transition to an existing exposure

situation

• Emergencies involving significant releases of

radioactive material into the environment:

• Result in an emergency exposure situation;

• Long-term exposures of the public due to residual

radioactive material are eventually to be managed as an

existing exposure situation;

• Termination of the emergency will delineate entering into

the existing exposure situation for the public while the

facility, the activity or the source will be subject to clean-

up, decommissioning or ending the operational life of the

source.

“Transition to an existing exposure situation.”

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Transition to a planned exposure situation

• Emergencies that do not involve significant releases

of radioactive material into the environment:

• May, but not necessarily, result in emergency exposure

situation;

• In terms of public exposures, such emergencies will not

introduce a new exposure situation in comparison to the

one before the emergency;

• Termination of the emergency will delineate beginning of a

planned exposure situation associated with normal

operation, clean-up, decommissioning or ending the

operational life of the source.

“Transition to a planned exposure situation.”

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Safety Requirements

• Decision for terminating the emergency shall include prior consultations with all interested parties

• Both radiological and non-radiological consequences need to be taken into account

• Arrangements shall be made for communicating with the public on the basis for adjusting or lifting protective and other actions and on terminating the emergency

• Any information provided to the public shall put health hazards in perspective

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Further guidance to support Req. 18 of

GSR Part 7 and Req. 46 of GSR Part 3

• In preparation:

• Safety Guide on Arrangements for the

Termination of a Nuclear or Radiological

Emergency (DS474)

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General considerations

Declaration of an emergency is a straight forward process mainly based

on specific criteria, if properly defined and implemented

Termination of an emergency usually not well defined

Termination may be a complex process, depending on the actual

emergency situation

Two major questions:

• What do we want to achieve? Primary Objective

• What is necessary for terminating an emergency? Prerequisites

General Guidance on a broad spectrum of aspects notwithstanding the

need be adjusted using a graded approach and considering national,

local und site-specific circumstances

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Primary objective

Primary objective of the termination of the

emergency is to facilitate the timely

resumption of social and economic

activities.

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GENERAL PREREQUISITES for Termination

Urgent and early protective actions implemented

Source of exposure under control

No further significant release expected

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GENERAL PREREQUISITES (cont.)

Characterization of

Radiological situation

Exposure pathways

Doses to affected people

considering impact of lifting

or adapting earlier

implemented protective

actions and possible future

land use options

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GENERAL PREREQUISITES (cont.)

Assessment of radiological

situation

• Reference levels

• Generic criteria

• Operational criteria

meets the relevant

prerequisites for transition?

Identification and

consideration of non-

radiological and other

factors

• Technology

• Land use options

• Availability of resources

• Community resilience

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GENERAL PREREQUISITES (cont.)

Confirmation that requirements for occupational

exposure as for planned exposure situation can

be applied for all workers to be engaged in

recovery activities.

Establishment of a registry for those identified

requiring further medical follow up

Strategy for waste management arising from the

emergency developed

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GENERAL PREREQUISITES (cont.)

Emergency Plans elaborated

during preparedness

Thorough hazard

assessment of current

situation and future

development

Revision of Emergency

Arrangements

Emergency will/may change

hazard situation

Implementation of

revised Emergency

Arrangements

Emergency

Coordinated among

relevant response

organizations

Maybe interim

response capability

until formal

establishment

Conduct hazard assessment: • Consequences, estimated time for

termination of emergency, resources and

infrastructure available.

• Type of exposure situation will likely

transition to

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Protection of Public: Reference Levels

• Tool for optimization of the protection strategy

Priority to exposures above reference levels

• During response, benchmark for assessment of

effectiveness of protection strategy

• Choice of numerical value, situation-dependant

• May vary from location to location

• Approaching lower end of band for emergency

exposure situation (20 mSv/y) should be

acceptable for termination

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Protection of Public: Operational Criteria

• GC for enabling the transition to an existing

exposure situation given in GSR Part 7

• OILs based on this generic criteria to be used to

support:

• Decision-making on adapting/lifting protective actions

• Implementation of activities to enable termination of

emergency exposure situation

• Generic Criteria and OILs for use during the

transition phase given in Draft Safety Guide (DS474)

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Protection of Public: Adapting and lifting

protective actions

• Change in approach during transition phase

• From ‘driven by urgency’ to ‘driven by more

comprehensive assessments during transition phase’

• Need to adjust protective strategy

• Adapting/lifting protective actions

• Justified and optimized

• Assess impact on the residual doses

• Use pre-established OILs to support decisions

• May vary from location to location

• Inform interested parties what, where, when and why

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Radioactive waste management

• Radiation emergency may generate waste (radioactive and conventional)

• National framework for radioactive waste management may not necessarily recognize this waste stream

• Authorities may be under pressure (public/political) to treat all waste as radioactive waste thus producing large volumes

• Protection strategy should not be compromised

• Generation of radioactive waste one of many factors to be considered in justification/optimization

• As response progresses radioactive waste management activities will become important and integral part of the overall response

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Consultation with interested parties

• Increase public trust, credibility and the societal acceptance; Enhance the community resilience to nuclear and radiological emergencies

• Starts as early as possible during the preparedness stage and continues, as appropriate, during the transition phase

• May also continue in long term after the termination of the emergency

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Other aspects

Compensation of Victims of

Damage

Plans & Procedures

Logistical support & Facilities

Training Exercises Quality

Management

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Timeframes

The strategy for the transition to the new exposure situation

should aim to avoid both premature termination and late

termination of the emergency.

Examples:

premature termination inadequate protection of the public,

workers including emergency workers, helpers and patients;

unnecessarily late termination evacuated or relocated

populations may have settled down in the new environment and they

may find it disruptive to move back to the affected areas.

Discuss and agree, in broad terms, timeframes anticipated to

terminate the emergency for range of postulated nuclear or

radiological emergencies in preparedness stage.

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Thank you for your attention…

Ms Svetlana NESTOROSKA MADJUNAROVA

Mr Phillip VILAR WELTER

P.Vilar-Welter@iaea.org