Radiation Emergencies
Information for Public Health Professionals
Public health professionals will play an important role in any radiation emergency. Key responsibilities (in addition to traditional public health functions) will include:
- Making shelter-in-place or evacuation recommendations
- Identifying people contaminated with radioactive materials or exposed to radiation (population monitoring)
- Conducting or assisting with decontamination
- Developing criteria for entry and operations within the incident site
To help state, local, and tribal public health professionals develop plans and response capacity for radiation emergencies, CDC has the following resources:
Planning
- Public Health Planning for Radiological/Nuclear Terrorism
- Population Monitoring in Radiation Emergencies
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors (CRCPD) Roundtable Materials
- Radiological/Nuclear Law Enforcement and Public Health Investigation Handbook NEW!
Guidelines & Recommendations
- Population Monitoring Guide
- Guide for Handling Radioactive Contaminated Decedents
- Guidance for Caring for Individuals Exposed to Polonium 210
Includes clinical guidance recommendations - Japan Incident - CDC Recommendations for Public Health Follow-Up of Travelers
- Japan Incident - Epidemiology Form for Public Health Follow-Up of Travelers
- Japan - CDC Revised Recommendation to Radiation Control Health Physics Staff 4 13 2011
Training & Education
Radiological Terrorism:
Tool Kit for Public Health Officials
A free tool kit for planning and response
- Public Health Planning for Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism
- Population Monitoring in Radiation Emergencies: Guide for State and Local Public Health Planners
- Screening People for External Contamination
- Guidelines for Handling Decedents Contaminated with Radioactive Materials
- Radiological/Nuclear Law Enforcement and Public Health Investigation Handbook NEW!
To order copies that include this material and information on preparing for population monitoring, decontamination, and the role of public health during a nuclear/radiological terrorist incident, please send an e-mail to cdcinfo@cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636); TTY: (888) 232-6348.
Related Links
- Tool Kit for Clinicians
- Training for Handling Radioactive Decedents
- Summary of CDC Roundtable on Population Monitoring
- Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation
- Countermeasures/Treatment
- Protecting Yourself and Your Family
- Types of Radiation Emergencies
- Strategic National Stockpile
- Report on the NACCHO/CDC Workshop on Operating Public Shelters During a Radiation Emergency (August 2010)
- Page last updated March 15, 2013
- Page last reviewed September 6, 2011
- Content source: Radiation Studies Branch (RSB), Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects (EHHE), National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP)
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