17^thEuropean ALARA Network Workshop [organized in collaboration with NERIS], Lisbon, Portugal, 15 – 17 May 2017

"ALARA in Emergency Exposure Situations "

Aims and objectives

Emergency exposure situations can arise as a result of a nuclear accident, a malicious or terrorist act, or any other unexpected radiological event. It requires a quick response and sustainable countermeasures and remedial actions in order to avoid or reduce adverse short-term and long-term consequences. Radiation exposures can be received by the public, first responders, workers and volunteers engaged in the post-accident recovery.

The ICRP recommendations and European Basic Safety Standards – the bases for national regulations - re-emphasize the principle of optimisation (ALARA) as applying to emergency exposure situations. For the purpose of radiological protection, reference levels for emergency exposure situations should be set. More importantly, it is necessary to establish emergency plans based on an optimum protection strategy, resulting in more good than harm for the exposed people and the affected territories. In that perspective, lessons learnt from the Fukushima accident are of utmost importance.

The objectives of the workshop were:

• To show, in particular from the experience of Fukushima accident, the challenges posed by the optimisation of exposures in emergency and post-accident situations;
• To review the national arrangements for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the radiological consequences of an emergency, especially with regard to applying the ALARA principle to public and occupational exposures;
• To review the arrangements for managing emergency doses to workers;
• To review the arrangements for providing ALARA-based training for the different types of stakeholders who would be engaged in the emergency response and long-term recovery actions.

Programme and participants

The final programme and the list of participants can be accessed here.

As part of the programme, time has been devoted for discussions in working groups between participants. The working groups tackled the following issues:

1. Can the ALARA principle by fully apply in Emergency Exposure Situations for the members of the public?
2. Can the ALARA principle be fully apply in Emergency Exposure Situations for the occupationnaly exposed individuals?
3. (two working groups) Predict the unpredictable. How to ensure emergency plans are optimal from a radiation protection point of view? How to act if the situation goes beyond prediction?

Presentations

Session 1 - Setting the scene

•  EAN and ALARA in Emergency Situations (1.2 Mo) — F. Vermeersch, SCK•CEN & EAN Chairman
•  Prepardness from Recovery from Radiation Disaster, Role of the European NERIS platform (153 ko) — T. Schneider, CEPN & NERIS Chairman
•  Considerations for the Development of a Protection Strategy for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency (1.1 Mo) — C. Robinson, International Atomic Energy Agency
•  Jutification, Optimisation and Dose Limitation following Nuclear Accidents (1.4 Mo);&nbspAbstract — A. Nisbet, Public Health England, ICRP TG 93
•  Euratom Directive 2013/59 - Elements to be included in Emergency Management System (... kB) — M. Patel, European Commission
•  CRPPH Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters (WPNEM) (2.3 Mo) — C. McMahon, Environmental Protection Agency Ireland

Session 2 - Overview of Emergency Prepardness in Europe

•  The CODIRPA - A French Initiative to Manage Post-Accident Situations, Achievements and Future Challenges (3 Mo) ; Abstract — N. Tchillian, French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN)
•  Optimised Protection Strategies in Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies - the German Example (8.6 Mo) — F. Gering, German Nuclear Safety Authority (BfS)
•  Emergency Prepardness in Austria in the light of the new EU BSS including also the ALARA Approach (3.3 Mo) — M. Dauke, AGES GmbH
•  Setting Dose Reference Levels for Emergency Responders in the United Kingdom (2.1 Mo) ; Abstract — S. Ely, Public Health England
•  Finnish Experience in Emergency Prepardness - Experience of Cooperation and Results (1.3 Mo) ; Abstract — J. Sovijärvi, Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK)

Session 3 - Emergency and Response Management

•  A Framework for Training of First Responders and Intervention Teams (4.1 Mo) ; Abstract — L. Portugal, Portuguese Environmental Protection Agency
•  Operational Radiation Protection at EDF Rapid Nuclear Response Force (3.1 Mo) — P. M. Eymond, EDF
•  J-RODOS: Real Time Decision Support System for Nuclear Emergency Management (1.9 Mo) ; Abstract — W. Raskob, Karlsruhe Institute ot Technology
•  CFD Application for Impacts & Risks assessment in the Industrial Areas-Case Studies Fuidyn PAN-EPR for Local Scale Short-Term Releases (4.3 Mo) — C. Souprayen, Fluidyn France
•  Optimization and Robustness of Intervention Strategy (1.6 Mo) ; Abstract — C. Murith, Swiss Federal Office of Public Health
•  Modelling of Nuclear Accident Consequence on Freshwater Bodies (5.1 Mo) — E. Gallego, University of Madrid
•  WHO Recommendations on Iodine Thyroid Blocking (4.8 Mo) — Z. Carr, World Health Organization
•  The Experience of Q&A about Radiation in Daily Life after Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident (5.5 Mo) ; Abstract — T. Kono, Japan Atomic Energy Agency & Young Researcher Association, Japan Health Society
•  Radioactivity from Fukushima Nuclear Accident Detected in Lisbon: Concerns of and Communication with the Public (4.7 Mo) — M. Capucho dos Reis, University of Lisbon, Technologic and Nuclear Campus (IST CTN)

Session 4 - The Post Accident Phase - Management of Radiological Consequences

•  Responders On-Site in the Late Phase of a Nuclear Accident - The ALARA Approach (3.1 Mo) ; Abstract — J. F. Lecomte, French Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN)
•  ERMIN: European Model for Inhabited Areas: Use within a Wider Decision Making Framework (6.6 Mo) ; Abstract — T. Charnock, Public Health England
•  Management of Contaminated Food: the Example of the Irish Dairy Sector (1.6 Mo) — C. Organo, Irish Environmental Protection Agency
•  The Use of Electronic Dosimeter for Individual Exposure Assessment and Management after a Nuclear Accident: the Example of D-Shuttle in Fukushima Prefecture (6.7 Mo) ; Abstract — W. Naito, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
•  Efficient Countermeasures: the Basis of post-Chernobyl Remediation and Sustainable Development of the Affected Territories of the Republic of Belarus part 1 (8,9 Mo) part 2 (7.6 Mo) — V. Averin, Insitute of Radiology (RIR)
•  Implementating Optimisation in Post-Accident Situation: Some Lessons from Fukushima (1 Mo) ; Abstract — T. Shogo, Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Session 5 - Conclusions and Recommendations

•  Introduction to the Working Groups — P. Croüail, CEPN and EAN Vice Chairman (811 ko)
•  Report from Working Group 1 - Can the ALARA principle be fully applied for the public in emergency exposure situations? (59 ko)
•  Report from Working Group 2 - Can the ALARA principle be fully applied for the occupational exposed workers in emergency exposure situations? (52 ko)
•  Report from Working Group 3a - Predict the unpredictable: How to ensure the emergency plans are optimal from a radiation protection point of view? (38 kB)
•  Report from Working Group 3b - Predict the unpredicatable: How to ensure the emergency plans are optimal from a radiation protection point of view? (69 kB)
•  Final Conclusions and Recommendations (preliminary) — J. Morgan, Public Health England & EAN Secretary

-- EAN 17th Workshop participants (IST-CTN, Bobadela, Portugal, May 2017) --

You can access here the 38^th issue of the European ALARA Network Newsletter (pdf, 4,7 Mo). Articles deal with:

• Significant Radiological Events in France during 2014 in Industrial Radiography
• The gammaPROX concept
• The Role of EFNDT in Radiation Protection
• ENETRAP III-Implications for Industrial Radiography?
• Radiation Protection of a novel Radiotherapy System for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• On the Use of Thyroid Shielding in Dental Radiography : an Answer and a Survey
• EAN activities : 17th Workshop on the Application of ALARA in Emergency Exposure Situations
• ALARA News, FAQ ALARA 

You can download here the 37^thissue of the EAN Newsletter (pdf, 2 Mo).  

Articles :

1. The Radium Action Plan in Switzerland, Messrs. Nicolas STRITT, Sébastien BAECHLER, Christophe MURITH, Federal Office of Public Health, Bern, Switzerland 

2. The Use of Thyroid Shield in Dental Radiography, Mr. John HOLROYD, PUblic Health England, Leeds, United Kingdom

3. Low Compliance with X-Rays Procedures, Mrs. Camilla LARSSON, Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Stockholm, Sweden

    

    

    

    

You can download here the 36^thissue of the EAN Newsletter (pdf, 678 Ko).  

Content :

1. Results of the EAN Survey on the Regulatory Approach for the Radiological Protection of Aircraft Crew, Mr. Sylvain Andresz (CEPN), Mr. Pascal Croüail (CEPN)

2. Industrial Radiography: Hand Injury from Exposure to X-Ray Beam (OTHEA incident)

3. Radium Action Plan in Switzerland, Mr. Nicolas Stritt (OFSP) 

4. This article could be yours, EAN Newsletter Editorial Board.

The Strategic Agenda of the European ALARA Network for the 2015 - 2020 period has been elaborated by the Members in 2014 and is now published on the website (in the 'Presentation of EAN/EAN Strategic Plan' section). The Strategic Agenda reminds the general objectives of EAN and presents the objectives of the Network for the period and the work programme to fulfil it.

EAN Strategic Agenda 2015 - 2020 (pdf, 455 Kb)  

You can download here the 35^thissue of the EAN Newsletter (pdf, 549 Ko).  

Content :

1. PET CT - How much is too much?, Dr. Martin O'Connel, Mater Misericordia University Hospital, Dublin

2. How do you know you work ALARA? Mr. Sylvain Andresz (CEPN), Mrs. Karin Fritioff (Vattenfall AB)

3. 15th EAN/5th EUTERP Workshop : Education and Training in Radiation Protection: Improving ALARA Culture, Rovinj, Croatia 7-9 May 2014 - Summary and Recommendations, Mr. Peter Shaw (PHE), Mr. Pascal Croüail (CEPN), Mr. Richard Paynter (SCK•CEN), Mrs Michèle Coeck (SCK•CEN) 

4. This article could be yours, EAN Newsletter Editorial Board.

The 15th EAN workshop on "Improving ALARA Culture through Education and Training" was in particular focus on measuring the effectiveness of training.

Following their presentation during the workshop E. Grindrod and J. Stewart from Public Health England propose in this article an "untraditionnal" approach to test knowledge, application and competences of emergency responders at the end of their training event. The article deals with the advantages and disavantages of this approach and looks for areas of future development.

The article can be downladed here (pdf, 132 Ko).    

14^th European ALARA Network Workshop, Ireland 4-6 September 2012

"ALARA IN EXISTING EXPOSURE SITUATIONS"

  Download the 2nd announcement

The concept of “existing exposure situations” was introduced by ICRP in Publication No. 103 (2007), and is included in the revised European Basic Safety Standards Directive. It is defined as exposure situations that already exist when a decision on control has to be taken, such as those caused by natural background radiation and radioactive residues from past practices or events.  Examples include radon in dwellings and buildings with public access, building materials and management of contaminated areas from past practices and post-accidents. Other situations such as exposure from cosmic rays and NORMs may also be included.

Optimisation is the key radiation protection principle for existing exposure situations, although it is not always clear how to apply this in practice.  Consequently, the aim of the 14^th EAN workshop is to focus on how the ALARA principle can be applied to the whole range of existing exposure situations.  The Workshop will consider the wider principles and strategies that might be adopted, as well as the specific methods for implementing ALARA in practice. 

This workshop will consist of presentations intended to highlight the main issues, and a significant part of the programme will be devoted to discussions within working groups.  From these discussions, participants will be expected to produce recommendations on ALARA in existing exposure situations addressed to relevant local, national and international stakeholders.

Working Group Topics

• ALARA challenges and practicalities at the national and regional levels

• Considerations in choosing reference levels

• Economical, technical factors and endpoints of optimisation

• Societal factors and stakeholders engagement