ABSTRACT
An accident or a radiation emergency situation can arise from the use, storage, or transfer of radioactive materials or from the misuse of equipment that can produce X-radiation or other forms of ionizing radiation. Incidents involving radioactive materials may involve the release of radioactive contamination that may become inhaled and/or ingested as well as result in the accidental external radiation exposure of individuals to penetrating radiation. Sometimes the initial release of radioactivity in an uncontrolled manner goes undetected for long periods of time. This may produce “chronic” low-level contamination, as contrasted to a single episode in which a sealed radioisotope source fractures, releasing potentially serious amounts of radioactive contamination that may be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed into a person’s body, as well as spread to personal property and into the environment in an uncontrolled manner. The emergency measures that must be taken to cope effectively with these various types of situations are so broad in scope that we could not list every step that must be followed to remedy each emergency situation. Instead, we must place our confidence in the intelligence of mature, well-trained personnel who will apply their knowledge of radiological safety and use common sense to deal effectively with such emergencies. We hope that these individuals, who may be directly or indirectly involved in the planning, management, and documentation of radiation emergencies, will benefit from some of the experience we have gained over the last 40 years in the evaluation, control, and remedial action following a wide variety of emergencies involving radiation-producing equipment and/or radioactive material.
