Radiation Disasters: Preparedness and Response for Radiology. The American College of Radiology (ACR) Disaster Planning Task Force - in collaboration with the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) - offers this Web page as part of an educational program to enable the radiology community to respond effectively in a crisis. As we learned on Sept. 11, 2001, a large-scale disaster can strike without warning. The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as several incidents of anthrax in the mail placed our colleagues on the front lines in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities triaging the injured and diagnosing those who were infected. A radiation disaster is a possibility for which we must be prepared. Radiologists, radiation oncologists and medical physicists will play a vital role as responders and as sources of accurate information for patients, the public, and the medical community. The links on this Web page provide quick access to current information on preparing for a radiation emergency, handling contaminated persons, dose assessment, radiation health effects, and accessing emergency assistance. Links are also provided on medical responses to bioterrorism. The College will continue to expand its educational resources for disaster preparedness and will provide updates as new materials are added. Please check this Web page regularly for information.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would play a key role in protecting the public's health during and after an emergency involving radiation or radioactive materials. To help people be prepared for a radiation emergency, the CDC has the following information. (For non-emergency radiation information, see the Radiation Studies Web site.)
Potassium iodide (also called KI) is a salt of stable (not radioactive) iodine. Stable iodine is an important chemical that the body needs to make thyroid hormones. Most of the stable iodine in our bodies comes from the food we eat. KI is stable iodine in a medicine form. This fact sheet from the CDC gives you some basic information about KI. It explains what you should consider before you take KI.
A nuclear blast is an explosion with intense light and heat, a damaging pressure wave, and widespread radioactive material that can contaminate the air, water, and ground surfaces for miles around. A nuclear device can range from a weapon carried by an intercontinental missile launched by a hostile nation or terrorist organization, to a small portable nuclear devise transported by an individual. All nuclear devices cause deadly effects when exploded, including blinding light, intense heat (thermal radiation), initial nuclear radiation, blast, fires started by the heat pulse, and secondary fires caused by the destruction.
ICS 100 introduces the Incident Command System (ICS) as it applies to the health care/hospital environment and provides the foundation for higher-level ICS training.Â
ICS-200.HC is designed to enable health care/hospital personnel to operate efficiently during an incident or event within the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS-200 provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within the ICS.
During a nuclear incident, it is important to avoid radioactive material, if possible. Experts predict that a nuclear attack is less likely than other types of attacks, but terrorism, by its nature, is unpredictable.
The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) is a federally coordinated system that augments the nation's medical response capability. The overall purpose of the NDMS is to establish a single, integrated national medical response capability for assisting state and local authorities in dealing with the medical effects of major peacetime disasters, and to provide support to the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical systems in caring for casualties evacuated to the United States from overseas armed conventional conflicts.
The National Response Plan utilizes the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) as part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Preparedness and Response, under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8), Health and Medical Care, to support Federal agencies in the management and coordination of the federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters including:
Natural disasters.
Major transportation accidents.
Technological disasters.
Acts of terrorism, including weapons of mass destruction events.
