Fire at Japan nuclear power plant, no radiation leak

(Report dated December 8, 2008)
A fire broke out at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan, at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex and a worker was sickened by smoke inhalation. The plant operator said that there was no release of radioactivity. The fire broke out at a turbine facility during welding of pipes aimed at enhancing quake resistance, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said in a statement. The fire was extinguished within one hour and there was no radiation leak from the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the TEPCO said.

The nuclear power complex, which suffered extensive damage in an earthquake last year, has been out of service and undergoing repairs. The incident occurred just days after a Dec. 1-5 inspection by a team from the United Nations nuclear watchdog. The team of 10 experts from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assessed safety measures designed to deal with the continuing threat of earthquakes.

Natural and man-made disasters like larger earthquakes, fire incidents and terrorist attacks can cause serious consequences involving radioactivity leakage and radiation exposure to public. Comprehensive preparedness plans should be in place to respond quickly to such situations with minimum loss to property and human lives.

Indian Association for Radiation Protection – National Conference

The Indian Association for Radiation Protection (IARP) and Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur organized the National Conference (IARPNC-2008) in Jodhpur during November 19-21, 2008. The focal theme of the conference was “Management of Nuclear & Radiological Emergencies”. Other topics related with the radiation protection and safety, were also covered in the conference by way of Invited talks, and Oral/Poster presentations. The conference was well attended by the top DRDO scientists, scientists from Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)family and a Hon’ble Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Delhi. In the end, there was a Panel Discussion on Public awareness regarding safety aspects in peaceful applications of ionising radiations.

The technical proceedings of the conference are brought out as a 464 page, hard-bound volume (Volume 31) of the journal “Radiation Protection and Environment”, published by the IARP. The enquiries for procuring the Proceedings volume may be directed to the Secretary, IARP, C/o, RP&AD, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai 400085, India (Email: bcbhatt2003@yahoo.com).

IRPA 12 Congress Sets New Attendance Records!

The highlight of the IRPA International Congress (on radiation protection) opening is always the presentation of the Sievert Lecture. This year’s award winner was Christian Streffer, Germany, who presented an excellent lecture titled Radiological Protection: Challenges and Fascinations of Biological Research. Prof. Streffer began by outlining the limitations faced by epidemiological studies in providing low dose radiation effects information. He went on to provide an excellent review of recent biological studies at the molecular level that are extending dose effects information to lower levels than is currently possible through statistical studies.

The IRPA 12 International Congress in Buenos Aires, October 19 to 24 drew 1,336 radiation protection specialists from 90 countries and 1491 contributed papers. These set IRPA Congress attendance records for both national representation and total attendance. This success is due, in part, to significant support for participation of young scientists, particularly those from developing countries, by the IAEA and several IRPA Associate Societies. The IRPA 12 was opened with a welcome to Buenos Aires by the Vice President for Congress Affairs, Abel Gonzales. The traditional Congress opening was declared by IRPA President, Phil Metcalf with the ringing of the Polvani bell. The opening session concluded with a touching tribute to former ICRP Chairman and Argentina native, Dan Beninson.

Three cheers for the good work done by the IRPA for providing this platform for radiation protection professionals, world-wide.

IARP Conference, Defence Labs, Jodhpur

The Indian Association for Radiation Protection (IARP) will be organizing its 28th IARP Conference with focal theme of “Management of Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies (IARP NC-2008), being held at Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur during 19-21 November, 2008. The “Proceedings” of the conference is being brought out as a special issue of the journal, Volume 31 (1-4), 2008.

All the thematic areas in radiation protection are covered in the conference. The papers submitted were peer reviewed by experts. In all, 128 papers were accepted for presentation in oral and poster sessions, over the three days. The Proceedings is also being brought out as Compact Disk for distribution to the members of the Association. The information is also available in the IARP website: www.iarp.org.in

What is new in the ICRP site?

The work of two sub-groups of an ICRP Task Group is nearing completion. The reports of the Task Group will address:

1. Nuclear decay data for dosimetric calculations; and
2. Reference computational phantoms of the adult male and female (a joint ICRP/ICRU Report).

These two drafts, which are interrelated in the sense that they both provide data for dosimetric calculations, are primarily collections of tabulated information, in the first report to describe radionuclide transformations as an extension of ICRP Publication 38, and in the second report to describe the characteristics of the voxel-based reference phantoms referred to in ICRP Publication 103.

Revision of IAEA International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) - draft (1.0)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been playing a lead role in developing international Basic Safety Standards (BSS) for protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. The BSS provide guidance for implementing and regulating the all applications involving radiation and radioisotopes, taking cognizance of the basic recommendations of the ICRP. A review of the BSS (SS-115, 1996) was carried out in 2007 in cooperation with the co-sponsors (FAO, ILO, NEA, PAHO and WHO). In a technical meeting involving more than 130 participants from Member States, international organizations and international professional societies, recommendations were made on the revision of the BSS, including that the revised edition should follow the 2007 recommendations of the ICRP (ICRP-103, 2007) to the extent possible.

The first draft 1.0 (DS379) – was thus prepared and is available for comments at the IAEA website. The draft consists of: Introduction, general requirements for protection and safety and requirements for the three exposure situations identified by the ICRP, viz., planned exposure situations, Emergency exposure situations and Existing exposure situations, four Schedules and list of References.

The document emphasizes the responsibilities of government: The government shall establish and maintain an appropriate and effective legal, regulatory and organizational framework for radiation protection and safety. It ensures that the prime responsibility for protection and safety rests with the person/organization responsible for facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks. The government establishes and maintains a regulatory body with clearly defined functions and responsibilities for regulating radiation protection and safety. It also ensures that the scale of regulatory requirements applied to any exposure situation is commensurate with the associated radiation risks.

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the regulatory body is adequately funded and is effectively independent of persons and organizations using or otherwise promoting the use of radiation, so that it is independent of any undue pressure from interested parties and any conflict of interest.

(Some more highlights will be presented in the National Conference of IARP, Defence Labs, Jodpur, India during November 19-21, 2008).

IRPA News Extracts – IRPA 12

The primary objective of International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) is to provide a medium whereby those engaged in radiation protection activities in all countries may communicate more readily with each other and through this process advance radiation protection in many parts of the world. This includes relevant aspects of such branches of knowledge as science, medicine, engineering, technology and law, to provide for the protection of man and his environment from the hazards caused by radiation, and thereby to facilitate the safe use of medical, scientific, and industrial radiological practices for the benefit of mankind. For many other related professions it is an excellent opportunity to communicate on the achievements, scientific knowledge and operational experience in radiation protection.

It is a major task for IRPA to provide for and support international meetings for the discussion of radiation protection. The International Congresses of IRPA itself are the most important of these meetings. These have been held about every four years since 1966. For all Associate Societies of IRPA and individual members, it is an important objective to attend the next International IRPA Congress (IRPA 12), to be held in Buenos-Aires, Argentina. Details can be found in www.irpa12.org.ar

IRPA 12 is only 2 months away, and it is shaping up to be an outstanding event! An IRPA Congress record of nearly 1500 abstracts, from more than 80 countries has been submitted!

During the Congress, the 2008 Rolf M. Sievert Award for outstanding contributions to radiation research and radiation protection will be presented to Prof. Christian Streffer of Germany. He is the 10th Sievert award winner, and joins a prestigious group of recipients. Christian Streffer is a leading expert on health effects by irradiation during all stages of pregnancy including the protection of the unborn child. Christian Streffer has been involved with the review of several UNSCEAR reports to the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 1993, Christian was appointed to ICRP Committee 1 (Radiation Effects) and served until 2001 when he was elected as a member of the ICRP Main Commission. Between 2001 and 2007 he chaired ICRP Committee 2 (Doses from radiation exposure).

IRPA 12 will be the most important event of the year for Radiation Protection Professionals!

IAEA Raises Awareness of Radiation Risks Among Heart Doctors

Patients are not the only ones at risk during cardiac procedures. Doctors performing heart surgery also face health risks, namely to their eyes. The issue of radiation protection for medical personnel is particularly acute in the case of lengthy angioplasty and other cardiac interventions performed under X-ray fluoroscopic guidance. The procedure can cause extensive radiation exposure to cardiologists that could lead to cataracts, alongside other longer term health risks. Fluoroscopy provides X-ray images of a patient that physicians can view on a display screen or monitor in real time. Proper use of tools for radiation protection - like protective screens or barriers - can prevent such radiation exposure problems.

The IAEA is helping the medical community to address this problem through a major international initiative aimed at training cardiologists and other medical professionals in radiation protection. This September in Latin America, the IAEA is organizing a study to test the eyes of interventional cardiologists participating in a regional medical conference. This will allow experts to assess retrospectively what radiation dose these cardiologists received, and then correlate the data with changes in their lens. Hopefully, this will help doctors to protect themselves better in the future and reduce further radiation in their eyes while maintaining the clinical load.

The Cardiology Conference is organized by the Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiologists (SOLACI) in Bogota, Colombia - (IAEA News).

Tests Confirm No Radioactivity Release to Environment from IAEA Seibersdorf Lab, After 3 August Incident

(Extract from IAEA News)

There was an incident at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)´s Seibersdorf Laboratory on 3 August, 2008. The Laboratory is located about 35 km southeast of Vienna, Austria. The laboratories provide research and training in applying nuclear science to environmental protection, insect pest control, plant breeding, human and animal health, as well as physical and chemical studies, and nuclear instrumentation.

Tiny amount of plutonium contained in an acid solution spilled from five small glass vials when one of them burst after a build up of pressure in it. The vials were stored in a secure steel safe. In total there was less than one gram of plutonium in the five vials. The material was in the laboratory for scientific reference purposes and virtually all of the contamination was confined within the steel walled safe.

An automatic alarm was triggered when the highly sensitive detectors of the continuous air monitoring system identified minor amounts of radioactive aerosols in the storage room containing the safe. The air contamination was trapped entirely in the filters of the ventilation system. The IAEA emergency response team promptly secured and sealed off the windowless storage room.

An investigation into the circumstances and causes of the incident is still underway. In the meantime the first stage of the clean-up of the storage room was successfully completed on 22 August, 2008. Further independent tests confirmed that there was no release of activity to environment.

According to the IAEA´s nuclear regulator´s assessment of the incident, the lab´s safety systems worked properly and successfully contained the contamination. The incident was rated as level 1 (anomaly) on the Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) of events. The INES scale has seven categories, the most serious being a "major accident."

An example of good safety culture is set by the IAEA that even small incidents of this type need to be investigated and reported.

New ICRP Draft report for consulting-Rehabilitation

New ICRP draft report “Application of the Commission’s Recommendations to the Protection of Individuals Living in Long Term Contaminated Territories after a Nuclear Accident or Radiation Emergency”, Version 4 dated 22/7/2008 is available in the ICRP site (www.icrp.org) for public consulting. This is a companion document to the draft report on Emergency Exposure Situations posted earlier for consulting.

The present report provides guidance on the application of the Commission’s recommendations on the above topic. This post-accident (late phase) rehabilitation situation is considered by the Commission as an Existing Exposure Situation. There are six chapters and 3 Annexures. The last date to receive comments is: October 13, 2008.

Bolstering Nuclear Security at China Olympics

It is reported that China and the IAEA have been working over the last 18 months to bolster the country´s security plan and minimize threats at the Summer Olympics, during 8-24 August, 2008 at Beijing. A radiological dimension was added to their existing security plans so that security for the Olympics is as comprehensive as possible.

The thrust of the IAEA´s work in Beijing is to help integrate radiological planning into existing security arrangements for police, intelligence community and bomb squads based in China. Through advisory missions and training exercises, the IAEA is assisting Chinese authorities with various aspects of radiation detection, physical protection, and emergency response. Efforts to enhance nuclear security arrangements for the Games are largely coordinated with the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA).

For several years now, the IAEA has provided specialized technical assistance and expert advice to countries who host major public international events. In addition to its work on the 2008 Summer Games, the IAEA has supported nuclear security measures for the 2004 Olympics in Greece, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.

Avoid excessive mobile usage

In spite of repeated news appearing in World Wide Web and in newspapers, little attention is paid to the harmful effects of the radiation emitted by the mobile phones and the cell towers. One can see that the lifestyle change has resulted in usage of mobile phones by almost everybody (2 out of 4) and the children are fascinated by the mobiles. Parents give the mobiles in small children’s hand as a toy, and to school going children as a status symbol.

The radiation levels reported in one of the news papers, Mumbai Mirror, are quite high in many places in Mumbai city and needs urgent response from the government. The radiation dose received depends on the period of exposure. Less time you spend talking, lower is the dose received from the mobile.

A landmark research study carried out in US and Denmark into the use of handsets which may have major public health implications, showed health effects in the children whose mothers have used mobile phones when they were pregnant. The researchers surveyed 13,000 children and found that even less frequent usage was sufficient to increase the health risk to the children.

There is a need for strict regulation to ensure that the manufacturers of the mobile phones and the service providers maintain the radiation emission levels much lower than the stipulated standards. Base stations/towers near schools and crowded areas should be avoided. There should be a dedicated regulatory body for strict regulation of the mobile phone usage. The regulators should also look into the safety of erecting antenna on the residential building tops. The RF radiation levels should periodically monitored in city areas, and around schools. The readings should be displayed for public knowledge and for checking compliance with the set limits by regulators.

38-Hour Simulation of Global Nuclear Accident Concludes: The exercise tests International Nuclear Emergency Response System

Over two days in July 2008, the IAEA emergency response team coordinated a test of international plans and systems for responding to a potentially serious radiological event. The 38-hour emergency exercise to a simulated accident at a nuclear power plant has successfully concluded. The exercise was coordinated by the IAEA in cooperation with 75 countries and 9 international organizations.

The simulated accident occurred at Mexico´s Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, a two-unit facility along the Gulf of Mexico coast. As the emergency drill progressed, the simulated accident escalated in severity, ultimately rated as a Level 5 "Accident with Wider Consequences" on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) because of its potential effects outside the plant site. The event challenged the readiness of nuclear safety, emergency operations, and communications mechanisms to respond to a theoretical radiological or nuclear mishap.

The exercise was a success in that it demonstrated strengths but also the weak points in the international emergency response system, said the IAEA´s Rafael Martincic, who led the preparation and evaluation of the Laguna Verde exercise. Only by identifying weaknesses can we improve the System´s response to large-scale radiological emergencies, he said. A previous simulative exercise took place in Romania in 2005.

The focus now is on evaluating the Laguna Verde exercise, to review findings and identify lessons learned that will further improve the international nuclear emergency response system.

ICRP draft report for comments

A task Group was formed in November 2006 by the ICRP to develop guidance on the implementation of the new ICRP Recommendations on the principles of optimization of radiation protection in various states of emergency preparedness and response. A report was prepared on the applications of the Commission’s recommendations for the protection of populations in the emergency phase of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency.

The 63 page draft document entitled: Applications of the Commission’s Recommendations for the Protection of People in Emergency Exposure Situations in the ICRP website for public consultation. The document, which can be downloaded, discusses such issues as the setting and use of reference levels, optimization with respect to protective measures, and the interface with the rehabilitation phase following an emergency.

It is reported that ICRP would much appreciate the reader’s views on this draft report. To provide the comments, one can go the Consultation Comments page in the site. The last date for submitting the comments is Friday, August 8, 2008.

Radiation from mobile phones is harmful to children

One can see that the lifestyle change has resulted in usage of mobile phones by almost everybody (2 out of 4) and the children are fascinated by the mobiles. Parents give the mobiles in small children’s hand as a toy and to school going children as a status symbol.

In spite of repeated news appearing in World Wide Web and in newspapers, little attention is paid to the harmful effects of the radiation emitted by the mobile phones. No body wants to even know about it, neither the users nor the manufacturers.

A landmark research study carried out in US and Denmark into the use of handsets which may have major public health implications, showed health effects in the children whose mothers have used mobile phones when they were pregnant. The researchers surveyed 13,000 children and found that even less frequent usage was sufficient to increase the health risk to the children. These children developed hyperactivity, and difficulties with conduct, emotions and relationships. The health risk in children, below 7 years, using the mobile phone is much greater. Some children are more sensitive than others to the radiation emitted by mobile phones.

There is a need for strict regulation to ensure that the manufacturers of the mobile phones maintain the radiation emission levels of the mobiles much lower than the standards. Base stations near schools and crowded areas should be avoided. There should be a dedicated regulatory body for strict regulation of the mobile phone usage. The regulators should also look into the safety of erecting antenna on the residential building tops. The RF radiation levels should periodically monitored and the readings should be displayed for public knowledge and for checking compliance with the set limits by regulators.

Goiania’s radiation accident – down the memory lane

In 1987, a scrap yard in Goiânia suffered one of the worst accident involving a radioactive source. Two families live and work at the scrap yard in the Brazilian city. Plastic and metal scrap collected off the streets is sorted out for recycling. Scrap merchants sold a metal canister left at an abandoned medical clinic. It looked harmless but valuable. They had no idea that it contained a powerful radioactive source used to treat cancer. The equipment was opened and the glittering radioactive Caesium chloride powder was shown to the friends and relatives of the junk-yard owner. Small fractions of the powder were gifted as souvenirs.

Thus, unknowingly, the contamination became wide spread over two weeks period. 250 people were contaminated. Four died in the first month. The management of the accident generated 3000 cubic meters of radioactive waste, which was disposed off in near surface repositories on the outskirts of the city.

The incident brought global changes in radiation safety. Lessons drawn from the accident are still helping to shape actions on radiation safety and security decades later. Before the accident, the regulations were weak when it came to controlling radiation used in medicine and industry worldwide. There was no awareness that radioactive sources must be controlled from ´cradle to grave´, and to prevent the public accessing them. Since the accident, the gradual replacement of sealed sources containing the soluble, powdery form of cesium chloride has been considered. The task is not easy. The IAEA has been developing rigorous safety standards for dealing with orphaned sources of this kind in the metal recycling industry. .

Fly-ash waste from thermal power plants

Coal-based thermal power plants burn train-loads of coal in a day and the percentage of ash generated is of the order of 35-40%. This waste needs disposal, and the target buyers are cement manufacturers and brick makers. The bricks made out of this fly-ash are cheaper as compared to the conventional bricks. The fly ash contains the naturally occurring radionuclides coming from uranium and thorium series of elements and Potassium-40. These radionuclides are present in the coal in parts per million (ppm) levels and get concentrated in the fly ash. A few hundreds of Becquerel (unit to express the quantity of radioactivity) of the radioactivity per kg of the material are likely to be present in the fly-ash.

One of the daughter products in uranium and thorium series is the gaseous radon isotopes. Being gaseous, the radionuclides diffuse out of the bricks/walls made out of the fly ash. These are emitting alpha radiation, and give dose to the lungs when goes inside the lungs as an air contaminant via inhalation route.

From radiation protection considerations, it is suggested that before fly-ash is used for commercial exploitation, an assessment of the materials is made for their radioactive content and the probable dose it is likely to give. If necessary, the material should be processed to remove the radioactivity content as much as possible. Clearance from the appropriate national authorities such as Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in India, may be required before large scale use of the “waste” fly-ash materials in cement or bricks used for construction of residential buildings.

Radioprotectors

While the radiation therapy is used to effectively to destroy cancerous tissues, it can have devastating side effect on healthy cells. It is desirable to have a drug which can protect some healthy cells without reducing the treatment’s effectiveness? Radio-protectors are drugs that protect normal (non-cancerous) cells from the damage caused by the high radiation dose used in radiation therapy. These agents promote the repair of normal cells that are exposed to radiation.

Amifostine may be the only drug approved by the FDA as a radio-protector. A single dose given to the laboratory animals shortly before receiving radiation therapy significantly reduce the radiation damage.

It is reported that the researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, USA, have developed a new drug, code-named CBLB502 that can protect healthy cells and bone marrow during anticancer radiation therapy. The drug may even protect against the biological effects such as lethal gastrointestinal (GI) syndrome (as an antidote) which are likely to be caused due to excessive exposures of the full-body in radiation emergencies. However, these are studies involving animals and more research needs to be done in humans.

Everything is more or less radioactive

When we say radioactive material, we mean the material emits ionizing radiation, capable of producing ion pairs in biological materials. Examples are alpha particles, beta, gamma, X-rays and neutrons. So in all cases, the radiation produces electrical interactions in the absorbing material. X-rays are also produced artificially in machines by rapid slowing down of an electron beam.

Everything around us is radioactive. There is cosmic radiation and terrestrial radiation. Cosmic radiation comes from deep space. Its origin is uncertain and the radiation is highly energetic. It is a mixture of many different types of radiation. All these highly energetic radiation particles interact with the atmosphere and as a result cosmic radiation at ground level becomes primarily muons, neutrons, electrons, positrons and photons. Exposure of humans to this cosmic radiation is unavoidable. The resultant dose is called external dose. Depending upon the elevation from the sea level, the dose rate due to exposure of population is different, and varies considerably. During the interaction, gaseous radioactive isotopes (radionuclides) such as Tritium (H-3) and Carbon-14 are also produced. These gaseous radionuclides get mixed up in the air we are breathing. Over time, they get incorporated in the bio-sphere.

Terrestrial radiation comes from the naturally occurring radioactive material present in rocks, in the ocean, in the atmosphere and in living organisms. Humans are also exposed to the radiation emitted by these terrestrial radioactive materials. Examples of these long-lived radionuclides are: Potassium-40, uranium and thorium series (their decay products such as radioisotopes of radium, polonium and lead). The radionuclides are also found in our diet and they get incorporated in the body. One of the radioactive decay products in the uranium and thorium series is gaseous Radon. The two important radionuclide are Radon-220 (from thorium series) and Radon-222 (from uranium series). Being gaseous, they come out of the solid matrix (like: rock/soil/bricks) and get mixed up in the air we are breathing. These inhaled radionuclides result in internal dose to the body.

The unit of radioactivity is Becquerel (Bq). It represents the quantity of radioactive material that emits one one disintegration per second. The older unit is a Curie (Ci) and 1 Curie is equal to 37 billion Bq. Thus, Bq is a very small unit and prefixes of kilo, mega and giga are use for thousand, million and billion respectively are used to express the amount of radioactive material generally used. Curie is a very big unit and hence prefixes of milli, micro and nano are used to express the amount: one-thousandth, one-millionth and one-billionth of a Curie.

Lead healthy lifestyle with mobile phones

It is true that mobile phones have brought in revolution in telecommunications industry. The expected mobile phone usage in India is projected to be 500 million (half of the population) within a short period of time. As per the recent reports, of the service providers are planning to erect over 90,000 base stations all over India to meet the ever increasing demand from rural areas! Mobile phone usage is very predominant in the new lifestyle adopted by younger generation. Mobiles are often given to children to play by the ever obliging parents. The scenario is not different in other countries.

Communication between a mobile phone and the nearest base station is achieved by the microwave radiation emissions from the transmitters connected to the antennas mounted at the base stations. These base stations are erected on top of buildings or specially built towers. There is much apprehension worldwide about the long-term health effects due to the exposure of people residing near the base stations and the mobile phone users to the radiofrequency emissions. Health effects such as heating of the exposed tissues, increased risk of malignant tumors (cancers) in the head and ears, genetic effects due to exposure of body cells to the radiofrequency (RF) radiations, etc. are reported in the literature.

Keeping in mind of the above uncertainties, including scanty nature of the studies and the gaps in our knowledge about the health effects of RF radiation, it is advised to keep the exposures much below the prescribed international guidelines. Use mobile phones for messaging only. Hand-free phones are safer. Since children are more sensitive to the radiation, mobile phones should be kept away from children.

There is a need for strict regulation to ensure that the manufacturers of the mobile phones maintain the radiation emission levels of the mobiles much lower than the standards. The base stations should be shared among the service providers to minimize the required number of base stations. Base stations near schools and crowded areas should be avoided.

There should be a dedicated regulatory body for strict regulation of the mobile phone usage. The regulators should periodically monitor the ambient RF levels near the base stations and display the readings for public knowledge and for checking compliance with the set limits by regulators. House insurance/health insurance schemes should also look into the safety of erecting antenna on the residential building tops.

What is dirty bomb?

A “dirty bomb” is not a nuclear weapon or bomb, the type of which was exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Dirty bomb is also called as “radiological dispersal device” (RDD) that combines a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material. Most RDDs would not release enough radiation to kill people or to cause radiation induced severe illness. However, the effects of the conventional explosive itself would be more harmful to individuals than the radioactive material.

Terrorist organizations may use this type of explosion to create panic and fear amongst the target population groups. Making prompt, accurate information available to the public could prevent the panic situation sought by terrorist organizations.

However, depending on the scenario, RDD explosion could create fear and panic due to the radioactive part of the bomb. This is the main motive behind using radioactive material in the conventional bomb. The explosion will contaminate property, may be a few blocks or a few kilometers depending upon the quantity, type of radioactive material used, method used for the dispersal and the weather conditions at that point of time. The clean up of the contamination is potentially costly, need expert’s guidance and time consuming.

Prompt detection of the type of radioactive material used will greatly assist local authorities in advising the community on protective measures, such as sheltering in place, or quickly leaving the immediate area. Radiation can be readily detected with equipment already carried by many emergency responders. There are expert groups identified by the government to respond to such type of emergencies within minutes. Media such as television and mobile messaging system come handy in informing the public as to the protective actions to be taken to minimize the exposure to radiation. The experts also will asess the radiation dose received by the exposed persons and suggest remedial measures, if required.

Thumb rules for the protection are: i) minimize the time spent near the affected area and ii) keep sufficient distance from the site of contamination. The inhalation of the airborne radioactive material can be prevented by using a wet handkerchief over the nose or a respirator normally used by the hospital staff.

Radiation protection of non-human species.

ICRP Publication 91 (2003) provided the basic framework for assessing the impact of ionizing radiation on non-human species. In order to provide further guidance on the issue, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) brought out a draft document, the work of an ICRP Task Group, to address “Environmental Protection: The Concept and Use of Reference Animals and Plants”.

This draft provides the practical basis for consideration of non-human species in radiological protection. The draft report can be downloaded from the ICRP site. It is said that the ICRP would much appreciate receiving comments and suggestions regarding this draft by all concerned not later than Friday 28 March, 2008.