Radiation accidents and incidents. What do we know about the medical management of acute radiation syndrome?

Radiation injury in the general population due to accidents or incidents is a rare but remarkable event that merits serious study and planning in the health care system. A radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. They can be related to a wide spectrum of practices, including industrial use, use of radiation sources in hospitals, activity in nuclear facilities, and transport of radioactive material. Also, a war or a possible terrorism nuclear attack can occur. The main scenario of a '' major nuclear accident '' is one in which a reactor core is damaged and large amounts of radiation are released, such as the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986, or more recently, the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011. (author)