Low-dose research and radiological protection in armed conflict emerge as key topics at 82nd meeting of the NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health
As part of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and OECD’s programme to support Ukraine and member countries during and after armed conflict, a task group will draft a roadmap on the priorities for developing RP during and after armed conflict.
This consensus was reached during the 82nd meeting of the NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) meeting which took place on 28-29 March in Paris and is based on actionable recommendations from the recent DSA-NEA workshop organised in Oslo, Norway.
The roadmap will address major concerns expressed by delegates on several points, including the protection of people and the prevention of irradiation accidents from potential orphan radiation sources from damaged facilities such as hospitals.
The task group will also take into technical support, such as expertise, training and communication, in particular with regard to sensitive issues for Ukrainian healthcare facilities. They will also consider communication with stakeholders, including the general public, and regular awareness of the situation to keep abreast of developments in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
NEA Director-General Magwood and CRPPH Chair, Thierry Schneider of the Nuclear Protection Evaluation Centre (CEPN), with delegates at the 82nd meeting of the NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) in Paris.
Over the course of the two-day meeting, the committee reviewed the activities to be completed in 2024. This includes a first workshop on low-dose research co-ordination initiatives co-organised by the NEA High-Level Group on Low Dose Research (HLG-LDR) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Planned for 25-26 June 2024 in Paris, participants will share the latest scientific findings, learn more about existing research and E&T co-ordination initiatives, and discuss how to structure an open dialogue on low-dose research within the radiological protection (RP) community and beyond.
The committee outlined the work of the NEA’s sixth International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (INEX-6), which focuses on the long-term recovery phase after a nuclear or radiological accident. This exercise series was successfully completed in March by 28 participating countries, territories and international organisations. The next steps will be to collect and analyse the national feedback and discuss the outcomes by the end of 2025.
Currently, the INEX-5 cycle is nearing completion, with four publications covering the main feedback from the exercise, which was primarily devoted to the cross-border harmonisation of protection strategies in the event of a nuclear or radiological accident.
A final plan for the Expert Group on a Post-Accident Food Safety Framework (EGFSF) was also discussed and approved. The group proposed three high-level recommendations, along with operational guidance for their implementation, on a food safety framework to support long-term food trade and confidence in the food supply chain following a nuclear or radiological accident.
The CRPPH meeting also featured discussions on major technical topics to agree on the path forward for 2025-2026. A key topic was the preparatory work completed by the Task Force on RP challenges related to the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs).
The committee outlined the work of the NEA’s sixth International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (INEX-6), which focuses on the long-term recovery phase after a nuclear or radiological accident.
A number of issues emerged from the group's analysis and the CRPPH identified three priorities for its future work. These are: (1) to address graded approaches for emergency preparedness and protective strategies for SMRs through the creation of an expert group by the end of 2024; (2) to consider the launch of two additional topics in the next biennium guidance for a risk-informed approach for RP and optimisation of occupational exposure for SMRs; and (3) to develop guidance for public communication of SMRs, including, for example, to address public concerns regarding unconventional siting and revised stakeholder engagement processes.
The meeting was attended by approximately 70 delegates from 21 member countries, 10 international organisations and associations, and invitees from the People’s Republic of China, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine.
The next annual CRPPH meeting is scheduled to take place in March 2025.
Read here to learn more about the NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health.
