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- Risk Communicator
- Issue 3
- Emergency & Risk Communication
- Anthrax Scare
- Pan Flu Preparedness
- YouTube is Your Friend
- Additional Resources
- Contributors
- Issue 2
- Priceless Collaboration for Hurricane Preparedness
- Talking to WHO's John Rainford - New WHO Guidelines
- Emergency Communication Challenges in Hurricane Katrina Response
- Hurricane Readiness in High-Risk Areas: Survey Results
- Elements of a Successful Exercise: Functional vs Tabletop and Beyond
- Collaboration & Communication During Emergency Response
- Public Health Observances
- Calendar of Training Opportunities
- Contributors
- Issue 1
- Introduction to the Risk Communicator
- Social Media & Emergency Communication
- Messaging Is Matter of Trust
- Program Spotlight: Frontlines of the CA Wildfires
- Research Summaries: Summaries of Work from Deborah Glik and Craig Lefebvre
- Risk Communication Opportunities During National Observances
- Upcoming Conferences, Training, and Workshops of Interest to Risk Communicators
- Contributors
- About the Newsletter
- Communicating in the First Hours
- SNAPS
- What CDC Is Doing
- What You Can Do
- Blog: Public Health Matters
- What's New
Radiation Emergencies
Types of Radiation Emergencies
Radiation emergencies may be
- Intentional (e.g., caused by terrorists)
- Unintentional or unplanned
Intentional (Terrorist) Acts
- Contaminating food/water with radioactive material
- Spreading radioactive material into the environment
- Using conventional explosives (e.g., dynamite) – this is called a dirty bomb
- Using wind currents or natural traffic patters
- Bombing or destroying a nuclear reactor
- Causing a truck/train carrying nuclear material to spill its load
- Exploding a nuclear weapon
Unplanned radiation emergencies
- Dirty Bombs
- Nuclear Blast
- Nuclear Reactor Accidents
- Transportation Accidents (unintentional spill of radioactive material from a truck or train)
Basic Steps to Protect Yourself and Your Family in a Radiation Emergency
If a radiation emergency happens near where people live or work, you can take immediate action to protect yourself, your loved ones, and others around you. This kind of emergency could be a dirty bomb or nuclear explosion, a nuclear power plant accident, or a transportation accident. These actions will protect people in a radiation emergency:
- Get inside and stay inside an undamaged building.
- If possible, shower and change into clean clothes.
- Stay tuned to television or radio for updates and instructions.
Emergency workers and local officials are trained to respond to different types of situations and will give you specific instructions to keep you safe. For more information, please read Protecting Yourself and Family.
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- Page last updated April 1, 2010
- Page last reviewed April 1, 2010
- Content source: Radiation Studies Branch (RSB), Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects (EHHE), National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP)
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