Reports Summarize 'Challenges and Lessons Learned' in Responding to Unprecedented Nuclear Emergency
Newswise — Philadelphia, Pa. (May 11, 2012) –This special issue of Health Physics, official journal of the Health Physics Society (HPS) offers 16 articles on various response activities by a number of US Agencies and their personnel following the tsunami and the events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. These articles began as presentations at a Special Session at the Health Physics Society’s 2011 Annual Meeting. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
The issue presents papers developed from presentations made at a special session of the 2011 HPS annual meeting, focusing on the U.S. radiological response to the Fukushima accident. "The response was unique in that it occurred overseas and involved a wide range of organizations and large number of participants," according to an introductory article by Daniel J. Blumenthal of the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA). Blumenthal was guest editor of the special issue, along with Stephen V. Musolino of the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Planning Enabled Swift Response to Unprecedented EmergencyOn March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan generated a tsunami that caused extensive damage to the region—including the Fukushima Daiichi plant. As a result of the initial damage and subsequent loss of electrical power, the reactor cores overheated, leading to the release of radioactive material.
The Department of Defense responded immediately with conventional and specialized units to provide assistance. The DOE/NNSA provided personnel and equipment to monitor radiation in the environment and determine the extent of the releases from the damaged plant. DOE/NNSA sent a response team to Japan to help protect U.S. personnel and assets. The team arrived on March 16 and began making environmental measurements and providing data from the field the next day. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was responsible for assessing the potential impact on U.S. territories, with monitoring from the RADNET system of monitoring stations, while the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission provided support in atmospheric dispersion modeling. Articles in the special issue of Health Physics provide detailed information on the radiation monitoring and dispersion modeling activities—which became increasingly complex as more data were collected.
The interagency Advisory Team for Environment, Food and Health, or "A-Team," provided advice both in the United States and at the U.S. Embassy in Japan. This included providing help in interpreting the environmental radiologic assessment and making appropriate recommendations for public health and safety.
"The success and effectiveness of the U.S. response was the result of decades of preparing, planning, and training," Blumenthal writes. The Fukushima accident provided challenges that were never considered in previous plans and training exercises—not only working in another country, but dealing with the simultaneous effects of two natural disasters. Blumenthal adds, "The ability of the various teams to adapt their prior plans to an emerging, dynamic situation was critical to the success of the response."
The 15 articles in the special issue provide comprehensive, detailed information on these and other aspects of the response, which included ongoing assistance with long-term recovery efforts. The editors of Health Physics, along with the HPS leadership, believe the information presented will be of interest not only to radiation safety professionals but also to policymakers and other individuals working in the fields of energy, environmental protection, public health, and national security.
"It is contributions like this that that help make Health Physics a well-respected journal in the field of radiation protection," writes Michael T. Ryan, PhD, CHP, in an Editor's note. While in Glasgow for the 13th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association, be sure to stop by the HPS exhibit (stand #9) to pick up a copy of the Fukushima special issue of Health Physics.
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About Health PhysicsHealth Physics, first published in 1958, has provided information to a wide variety of radiation safety professionals including health physicists, nuclear chemists, and physicians with interest in nuclear and radiological medicine. Health Physics is an important source of information for these professionals.
About the Health Physics SocietyThe Health Physics Society, formed in 1956, is a scientific organization of professionals who specialize in radiation safety. Its mission is to support its members in the practice of their profession and to promote excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. Today its nearly 5,000 members represent all scientific and technical areas related to radiation safety including academia, government, medicine, research and development, analytical services, consulting, and industry in the United States and a number of other countries.
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