EURANOS. Generic handbook for assisting in the management of contaminated inhabited areas in Europe following a radiological emergency

The handbook for inhabited areas has been developed as a result of a series of European and UK initiatives that started in the early 1990s. It is aimed at national and local authorities, central government departments and agencies, radiation protection experts, emergency services, the water industry and others who may be affected. The handbook is a living document that requires updating from time to time to remain state-of-the-art and customisation of the generic handbook is an essential part of its use within individual countries. The handbook includes management options for application in the early and medium-longer term phases of an incident. Sources of contamination considered in the handbook are nuclear accidents, radiological dispersion devices and satellite accidents. Inhabited areas are characterised by a number of different surfaces i.e. buildings; roads and paved areas; soils, grass and plants; trees and shrubs. The handbook is divided into several independent sections comprising: supporting scientific and technical information; an analysis of the factors influencing recovery; compendia of comprehensive, state-of-the-art datasheets for more than 50 management options; guidance on planning in advance; a decision-aiding framework comprising colour coded selection tables for each surface, decision trees for establishing monitoring priorities and look-up tables to assist in the elimination of options; and several worked examples. The handbook can be used as a preparatory tool, under non-crisis conditions to engage stakeholders and to develop local and regional plans. The handbook can be applied as part of the decision-aiding process to develop a recovery strategy following an incident. In addition, the handbook is useful for training purposes and during emergency exercises. The handbook for inhabited areas complements the two other handbooks for food production systems and drinking water supplies.