Population Monitoring Mississippi Radiation Response Volunteer Corps Unit (MRRVC) Population Monitoring Community Reception Center (CRC)

Can You Guess…..???? Can you guess… How many licensed radioactive facilities are located in the USA? Or How many radioactive sources are there? How many sources per year are lost in the world?

Radiation Sources There are around: 150,000 licensed radioactive facilities in the USA 2,000,000 radioactive sources 400 lost sources per year in the world Source IAEA

CONTAMINATION VS. EXPOSURE Results when a radioisotope is released into the environment and then ingested, inhaled, or deposited on the body surface. Occurs when all or part of the body absorbs penetrating ionizing radiation from an external radiation source. Source: slideplayer.com

Roles & Responsibilties Mississippi State Department of Health - Division of Radiological Health (DRH) Roles & Responsibilties Lead agency for radiological exposure control Decision-making organization for protection of the public’s health and safety during a radiological emergency Main state-level advisory body during an event at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) Guide and supplement population monitoring activities occurring in the counties surrounding the GGNS The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is the Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8, Public Health and Medical Services) coordinating agency for radiological response efforts within the State of Mississippi. Furthermore, the MSDH Division of Radiological Health (DRH) is responsible for protecting the public from unnecessary radiation exposure from radiological sources and materials. As part of the Mississippi Radiological Emergency Plan (MREP), the MSDH DRH is the main state-level advisory body during an event at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station (GGNS) and will guide and supplement population monitoring activities occurring in the counties surrounding the GGNS. Subsequently, according to the MSDH’s Population Monitoring Plan, the MSDH, through its Office of Emergency Planning and Response (OEPR) and DRH both located with the Office of Health Protection, is responsible for activating and mobilizing population monitoring activities during all other radiation emergencies across the state that might require such.

Population Monitoring In Radiation Emergencies

Community Reception Center (CRC)

What Is Population Monitoring? Population monitoring is a process that begins soon after a radiological incident is reported and continues until all potentially affected people have been monitored and evaluated for: Necessary medical treatment The presence of radioactive contamination on or inside the body or clothing The removal of external or internal contamination (decontamination) The radiation dose received and the resulting health risk from the exposure Any recognizable signs of long-term health effects

Radiation Emergency Response When a radiological emergency occurs the MSDH- Radiological Health Division/MRRVC team is ready to provide the services needed to assist the community. Within the first hours and days after a radiological incident. People are monitored and will continue to be monitored with special equipment that is designed to detect radiation.

Monitoring Equipment used in a CRC

Radiation Detection in the CRC Survey patient for possible contamination of a radioactive substance and mark areas on body diagram. May use partial body contamination screening (hands, face, shoulder and head)

Decontamination Don’t scrub! Non-abrasive soap May only need to wash hands.

Just-in-Time Training Videos One video for each of the 7 CRC stations Each video is 2-5 minutes long Purpose of the station Roles and responsibilities of the volunteers Radiation detection equipment Personal protective equipment required Safety measures required at each of the stations After initial training, it may be months or years before volunteers are called upon to staff a CRC during an exercise or actual event. To maintain readiness after initial training, we developed a series of just-in-time training videos that review the expectations, responsibilities, and procedures of each of the stations within the CRC. These videos provide critical information that volunteers need to know in order to work effectively at each station and protect themselves and others from potential cross contamination. Each JITT video reviews: - Information about the station which included the purpose of the station, what types of activities take place at the station, and placement of the station within the CRC. Roles, responsibilities and expectations of the volunteers at each of the stations and how they work alongside MSDH staff. What equipment is used at each of the stations (radiation detection equipment) Personal protective equipment and safety measures required at each of the stations As well as who to address any concerns with while working at the CRC

Just In Time Training – QR Codes Knowing every second counts in a real-world radiological emergency, a Quick Response Code (QR Code) was created for each station video. After placing these QR codes at each of the stations, the QR code can be rapidly scanned and are linked to the station specific training video which are uploaded to an unlisted YouTube channel. The idea came from Minnesota's Department of Safety – they created JITT videos and QR codes for their Radiological Emergency Preparedness program –their videos were specific for public safety workers and cover radiation equipment, emergency worker brief, portal monitor, and stations they would staff. The QR codes provide instant access to these just- in- time training videos for anyone that has a smartphone with a camera and internet access. MSDH also hopes to provide preloaded portable computer devices with just-in-time training content and make them available onsite during a deployment of the CRC. Having station specific videos readily available to each of the volunteers allows the volunteers to watch the videos at their own pace and minimizes the need for group just-in-time training prior to the opening of a CRC. Overall, utilization of QR codes can significantly increase the speed of delivery of training for volunteers at their specific CRC work station location and provide consistent information to volunteers when in a chaotic response environment

Health Physicists Admin. Contact Info Karl Barber Health Physicists Admin. Karl.Barber@msdh.ms.gov Division of Radiological Health 3150 Lawson Street Post Office Box 1700 Jackson, MS 39215-1700 Phone: (601) 987-6893 Fax: (601) 987-6887 Visit our website at: http://msdh.ms.gov/radhealth

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