The Technical basis for emergency planning and preparedness in EC countries : an examination of criteria, practices and recent developments and proposals for a harmonized approach.

Final report

The TMI-2 accident in March 1979 became a starting point for reconsidering the levels of ambition for emergency planning and preparedness (EPP) in many countries. At the same time that accident led to new and deepened studies of the basis for accident analyses and for emergency preparedness. Many exisitng or planned EPP measures are based on assumptions concerning accident sequences, release of radioactivity and accident consequences which in many cases are far too pessimistic. A higher level of ambition for EPP measures based on these assumptions does therefore not seem to be justified. In this report different elements of risk scenarios (accident sequences, source-term assumption and release behavior, dose assessment, contamination, etc.) and different protective actions (taking shelter, evacuation, use of potassium iodine, etc.) are discussed with reference to present knowledge and ongoing studies. Proposals are given for what emergency preparedness measures to choose and what priority to give them in order to create an efficient and sufficient protection of health and safety of the public