Although the nuclear industry has an excellent safety record, Chernobyl demonstrated that accidents can and do happen. During and after a nuclear accident, effective communication is essential to enable authorities to take prompt measures and to provide reliable information to the public at large. Such measures can address the consequences of a nuclear accident, save lives, and protect the environment.
Comprehensible information passed from nation to nation also allows other states to react to the situation and to learn from it later. Whether the effects of an accident are limited to the facility, or have widespread implications, the immediate response of national and international authorities is vital.
The IAEA Emergency Response System
In its early years, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) role in coordinating emergency planning and preparedness was minor. Following the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident, attention to the IAEA's role in major radiological events increased. The accident prompted the agency to re-evaluate its emergency response system and to issue guidelines for information exchange and co-operation among states before and during such events.
A few years later, Chernobyl underscored the need for such a system. As a result, member states supported the establishment of two international conventions: one focusing on early notification and the other on assistance in the case of a nuclear accident. The conventions now form the basic framework of the agency's emergency response system. They specifically outline the agency's role and that of its member states in the event of a nuclear incident, accident or radiological emergency.
Through this system, the agency gathers and verifies information relating to nuclear and radiological emergencies. It can provide information to its member states, other international organizations, the media, and the public. It also provides technical assistance to the affected states when requested. Naturally, for the system to be effective, cooperation among the agency, its members and other international organizations is necessary.
The Early Notification Convention
Under the convention on early notification, member states agree to notify the agency in case of a nuclear emergency that could result in a transboundary radiological release. In return, the agency's role is to record the notification of an accident from a state, to inform other states which may be affected and to relay details about the accident that may be useful to other member states or international organizations in responding. Prompt notification, provision of information, and technical assistance can help to minimize any radiological consequences of the emergency.
Because accidents can occur at any time, the emergency response system operates around the clock. During normal working hours, notice of an incident or accident comes directly to the agency's emergency response unit. Out of office hours, the security staff periodically scans messages that arrive at the communication center. If an emergency is reported, they contact the appropriate experts. A state would specify the level of safety significance of the event and can report on damage to the plant and any health or environmental consequences. It may classify the accident using the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES).
Senior level managers, information officers, technical experts, and support staff then come together to perform pre-assigned duties. If the agency verifies the emergency as having transboundary radiological implications, it communicates with member states via telex, fax, telephone, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)-operated global telecommunications network. As the international source of information, the IAEA may also inform other organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Program (UNEP), the UN Disaster Relief Organization (UNDRO) and the WMO.
Press and information releases are coordinated through a high level group which guides the agency's response to the many inquiries of the public, the media, the national authorities of member states and other international organizations. Here, INES can act as a means to relay information to the press and public to counter any distorted reports and unnecessary fears. Appropriate response to an emergency presupposes effective communication.
The Assistance Convention
The assistance convention provides for prompt aid when requested by member states to minimize any radiological consequences of an event, and to protect life, property, and the environment. The convention states that "if a state party needs assistance in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency, whether or not such accident or emergency originated within its territory...it may call for such assistance from the agency."
Under this convention, the agency is also committed to respond to requests for support from a state and, where necessary, act as a "broker" between states which provide and receive the assistance.
IAEA assistance includes medical consultations, radiological monitoring, health physics support, public information and technical assistance. The agency can help provide additional equipment and material. IAEA experts, familiar with the plant, the reactor technology, and the language of the state, can provide appropriate support and guidance regarding health and environmental implications. Although the agency may provide assistance during a nuclear emergency (including on-site support), plant operators and local authorities are ultimately responsible for mitigating any consequences.
A state may also request technical assistance from other intergovernmental or international organizations. It must specify the scope and the type of assistance needed and identify its available local resources such as experts, equipment and materials.
Preparedness
The IAEA periodically conducts exercises to assure that the system functions properly. These exercises involve a full response of the IAEA teams and participation by several member states and international organizations. Feedback from the participants and exercise evaluations show that they are worthwhile and useful. The lessons learned during these exercises help the agency improve the emergency response system, modify operational procedures, upgrade resources and facilities and correct communication problems.
Outlook
The IAEA has taken its responsibilities under the international conventions seriously. It has provided dedicated space, labor, and resources towards developing a comprehensive emergency response system. Team building and training have resulted in effective implementation of the system.
With the increasing use of nuclear generated electricity worldwide, an emergency response system is more important than ever before. Improvement of communications methods, coupled with the agency's comprehensive exercises will undoubtedly help it to fulfill its appointed mission.
The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES)
Although not a part of the emergency response system, INES is an important communications tool used by the agency and its member states to categorize radiological events. It creates a common understanding of nuclear events among the nuclear community, the media, and the public. It is widely used within the nuclear community and among the 48 member states participating in the system to describe the magnitude of an incident. It is also used to inform the public promptly and consistently of the safety significance and implication of events reported at nuclear installations.
The scale ranges from level zero for an incident having no safety significance, to level seven for a major accident with widespread health and environmental consequences. On INES, for example, the TMI accident would have rated as a level five; the on-site damage was severe but the offsite release of radioactivity was minor. Chernobyl, which had extensive off-site effects, would have rated at the top of the scale as a level seven.
Though most nuclear events described using INES are below scale or level one, they often draw intensive media coverage. INES is proving very useful in meeting this communication need, particularly considering the technical nature of nuclear power and the industry's specialized terminology.
INES was designed by the IAEA and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (NEA/OECD). An example of its effectiveness is its international use during the nuclear incident at the St. Petersburg nuclear power plant in the Russian Federation in Spring 1992. Partly because the incident occurred at a Chernobyl-type reactor, media interest was high. The agency received many inquiries from the media, its member states and the public when news reports of the event started coming in. The Russian authorities used the scale in their prompt reporting of the incident to the agency and INES became a commonly understood point of reference.
Since its creation, INES has been used predominantly to describe events at nuclear power plants. Recently it was adapted to include potentially all civil nuclear installations and transport incidents involving radioactive materials.
