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----- Original Message ----- From: BLHamrick@aol.com
To: joseroze@netvision.net.il ; michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu ; radiation@cox.net ;
radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2002 6:06
PM
Subject: Re: some details on St.
Lucie
In a message dated 10/19/2002 8:44:21
AM Pacific Daylight Time, joseroze@netvision.net.il writes:
What I can't understand is the USA portrait made here in the radsafe The problems include the very low number of health physicists vs. first
response organizations, the extremely low probability of a significant event,
and the very high complexity involved in responding to an event of real
significance.
That is, we cannot afford to have highly trained physics staff ready to physically respond within 5 minutes anywhere in the state (as we do have police and fire personnel), because these events are so very, very rare. And, we cannot train police and fire personnel on all the subtleties of determining radiologic hazard, because they will use that knowledge so infrequently, they will not retain it well. Generally, the compromise is what's been described here. Police and Fire will often have radiation detectors, and they can make a "go - no go" decision, but generally, then, if they find any radiation at all, they will take the conservative route and shut down the highway or evacuate the building, because they don't have the experience and knowledge to make an informed decision about the actual hazard. Once the radiological organization is contacted, and arrives at the scene, the informed decision is made, but this may be an hour or so after the initial "event." Obviously, if sufficient information can be gathered over the phone (such as this was a truck accident involving a moisture-density gauge, and the package is still in tact), then an informed decision can be made more quickly. I'd be interested in hearing ideas on how to resolve this. Barbara Here is
a partial response, from my days on an emergency response advisory committee
here in New Mexico, that may help:
Emergency response in the United States is a local responsibility, and is usually part of the responsibility of the local fire department (this includes emergency response to everything, including dispersion of radioactive and hazardous materials). In fact, the first on the scene of an accident -- the "first responder" -- is either the local police force or the local fire department. In a radiation emergency, DOE may at some time take over the situation, but is almost never the first responder. OK, we need to educate the first responders and emergency personnel, and that is done under federal guidelines, and works for professional fire departments, as long as the "educators" know what they are talking about. The last statement is not facetious; I am amazed at how little most doctors, including emergency room physicians, know about the health effects (or lack thereof) of radioactive and chemically hazardous materials. Moreover, in the U. S., many fire departments are made up of volunteers, especially in rural areas and small towns, and the average personnel turnover in volunteer fire departments is six months. I am not proposing an answer to this problem, but an explanation of situations such as the one Barbara describes. If emergency responders get most of their information form the mass media, the result is what we should expect it to be. Ruth Ruth Weiner, Ph. D. ruthweiner@aol.com My Comment:
a) I think the Brazilian situation is a good
approach to start, at least for developing countries:
In a country like Brazil, of continental dimensions, is difficulty to verify, with promptness, if determined object found in some environment or terrain, is or not radioactive, as what have happen in Goiania, Thailand, Istanbul or Egypt, that brought fatalities as consequence, besides many others incidents or accidents found in the literature. Or for a diagnosis, far of the Nuclear Main Center of Research, if the symptoms of an individual or individuals, due to have find and to touch a blue rock, isn’t due the ionizing radiation? Since 1988, after the Radiological Accident in Goiania, the Brazilian Regulatory Authority, National Commission of Nuclear Energy CNEN, carefully planned the called system SINAER, National System for Evaluation (and take Measures) in case of Radiological Events, based on the UK system NAIR, National Arrangements for Incidents Involving Radioactivity. The Brazilian System was adapted to the Brazilian reality, besides to involve institutions and volunteers and then gradually to implement actions. SINAER contains details in a simple level, well illustrative, with photograph, graphs, data and instructions for the first in scene, in the case of all radioactive sources used in medicine, industry, and research and also a chapter for actions in case of transport. This published document was sent to all Federal and State units involved in case of accidents, as Federal and States Department of Health, Civil Defense, Fire Brigade, as well as MD in Nuclear Medicine, Medical Physicists, and RSO, professionals that accepted to be involved in a volunteer work, to make CNEN to work rapidly in case of necessity. Short Training Courses complemented the implementation of this document. The Document also contain the Brazilian Map divided by several Regions, including names, Telephone of all the MD, Medical Physicist, RPO engaged in this volunteer work. b) International connection - IAEA published the following RS-G-1.4 Guide, connect also with this subject. I have been involved as Consultant - Safety Standards Series RS-G-1.4, Building Competence in Radiation Protection and the Safe Use of Radiation Sources, IAEA, Vienna, 2001. This Safety Guide provides guidance for the regulatory bodies for the establishment of training and qualification requirements and a strategy for building competence Previously it was possible to download at http://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/Books/FeaturedSeries/P1108_scrp.pdf. Anyhow I have it in a doc file, if you are interested please inform Also the following article is available in the IAEA site: SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION & TRAINING IN RADIATION PROTECTION BUILDING COMPETENCE, BY PATRICIA WIELAND,GEETHA SADAGOPAN, KHAMMAR MRABIT, AND TONY WRIXONhttp://www.iaea.or.at/worldatom/Periodicals/Bulletin/Bull431/article3.pdf Jose Julio Rozental
Israel
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