If a large local event such as a terrorist act has occurred involving radioactive materials, medical providers must be prepared to adequately treat injuries complicated by ionizing radiation exposure and radioactive contamination. Nuclear detonation and other high-dose radiation situations are the most critical (but less likely) events as they result in acute high-dose radiation.
If you are informed that radiation accident victims will be sent to the hospital, immediately notify the nuclear medicine department, Health Physics, the Radiation Safety Officer and others who have radiation exposure expertise.
The following scenarios are adapted from Medical Management of Radiological Casualties Handbook (Jarrett, 1999). Acute high-dose radiation occurs in three principal situations:
- A nuclear detonation which produces extremely high dose rates from radiation during the initial 60 seconds and then from fission fallout products in the area near ground zero.
- A nuclear reaction which results if high-grade nuclear material were allowed to form a critical mass (“criticality”) and release large amounts of gamma and neutron radiation without a nuclear explosion.
- A radioactive release from a radiation dispersal device (RDD)* made from highly radioactive material such as cobalt-60.
