IEC Information Bulletin, No. 44, Second Quarter 2013

The latest publication in the IAEA Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR)-series, Actions to Protect the Public in an Emergency due to Severe Conditions at a Light Water Reactor (EPR-NPP PUBLIC PROTECTIVE ACTIONS, 2013), was issued in May 2013. It is intended for those responsible for making and for acting on decisions in the event of an emergency involving actual or projected severe damage to the fuel in the reactor core or in the spent fuel pool of a light water reactor, to provide an understanding of the actions necessary to protect the public. It provides a basis for developing the tools and criteria at the preparedness stage that would be needed to take appropriate protective actions and other actions in response to an emergency. It provides guidance on: - Taking actions to protect the public based on conditions at the nuclear power plant using an emergency classification system; - Assessing environmental monitoring measurements taken after a release of radioactive material to determine if protective actions are needed; and - How to place the radiological health hazard in perspective for the public and answer key questions, such as ''Am I safe?'' and ''What do I need to do to protect myself and family?'' The publication is currently only available in English, but will soon be available in Spanish and Russian. The associated training materials will be available from the IAEA's and the Incident and Emergency Centre's websites later this year, and are also planned to be translated into other official UN languages. In addition, the IEC offers workshops on this publication at the national, regional and inter regional levels when requested by a Member State.