The overall objective of the proposed project is to contribute to the development of strategies and guidance for implementing and disseminating a practical radiological protection culture in Western Europe required for the management of contaminated areas following a nuclear incident or accident having long term radiological impact. These strategies and guidance will be primarily targeted towards the professionals involved in the public health domain such as public health authorities, nurses, medical doctors in the private and public sectors, medical social workers, etc. However, other important roles within communities will also be considered. These could include local government officials, elected representatives, teachers, religious leaders and the media. The aim will be to develop procedures, tools and guidance that could be used by such individuals in the event of a contamination situation. These would concern the following:
- Organisation of health care activities to take account of this new dimension within day-to day practice, particularly thru the implementation of an "inclusive" radiation monitoring system to measure external and internal exposure of the population.
- Advice for the health care professionals and the general public on the various aspects of the practical radiological protection culture needed in a contaminated environment resulting from a nuclear accident.
The Project will be developed based on both a detailed analysis of the current strategies, guidance and organisational arrangements that have been implemented in France, Germany and United-Kingdom to cope with long term radioactive contamination in case of a nuclear accident and the extended experience gained in Belarus associated with the practical management of the consequences of the Chernobyl accident over the last 15 years.
The key output of the project will be a handbook on radiation monitoring and protection of the population. Professionals will require guidance on the setting up of the basic infrastructure. The general public will require comprehensive practical information on ways in which unnecessary exposures can be avoided when using or living within a contaminated area on a day-to-day basis. Advice will also be provided on the adoption of a responsible and prudent attitude in regard to the protection of health, particularly for children or other critical population groups.
To ensure the applicability of the proposed set of strategies and guidance to the Western European context, European end-users will be involved in the context of the preparation of the handbook through stakeholders panels run in France, Germany and UK. The panel will be composed of professionals involved in the public health area (such as nurses, midwives, medical doctors, radiation protection experts and medical social workers) as well as representatives of the local population. A panel of local stakeholders from the contaminated territories in Belarus will also contribute to the development of the strategies and guidance and evaluate the practicability of the proposed radiation monitoring and protection system including the detailed identification of all technical, economical and social implications.
|
