Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:28:44.806Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Disaster Management During a Nuclear Accident

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

J. Ward Donovan
Affiliation:
From the Divisions of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Health Physics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033.
Joseph J. Trautlein
Affiliation:
From the Divisions of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Health Physics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033.
Kenneth L. Miller
Affiliation:
From the Divisions of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Health Physics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033.
H. Arnold Muller
Affiliation:
From the Divisions of Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Health Physics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033.

Extract

Disaster preparedness as developed by civil authorities and hospitals has not adequately addressed the special characteristics of mass casualties from nuclear accidents, as demonstrated during the accident at the Three Mile Island (TMI) Nuclear Power Generating Plant. Experiences gained by the Radiation Emergency Task Force of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, established during the TMI incident, have resulted in reexamination of emregency medical services (EMS) systems response, population and hospital evacuation, decontamination procedures, communications, triage and psychologic impact during such an event. From these investigations, it is now possible to restructure disaster protocols to accommodate accidents involving toxic contamination. Although this report primarily deals with nuclear accidents, it is also useful in planning for large-scale biologic or chemical accidents.

Type
Part III: International Organizations - Planning - Disaster Events
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Blakcly, I. The Care of Radiation Casualties. Charles C. Thomas, Publ., 1968.Google Scholar
2. DeMuth, WE Jr, Trautlein, J. The luck of Three Mile Island. Editorial. Trauma 1979;19:792.Google ScholarPubMed
3. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Radiation Emergency Response Plan, Department of Health, lune 1980.Google Scholar
4. Weidner, WA, Miller, K, Latshaw, RF et al. The impact of a nuclear crisis on aradiology department. Radiology 1980;135:717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar