[Radiological accident: public health countermeasures]

Several measures in a response to a nuclear or radiological emergency have in common the aim of protecting human life and health, among these: to save lives; to avoid or to minimize severe deterministic effects; to provide fist aid, critical medical treatment and to manage the treatment of radiation injuries; to reduce the risk of stochastic effects.
In the phase of the urgent response (the first hours or few days from the declaration of the emergency) mitigatory actions have to be taken by the operating personnel of a nuclear facility to prevent the escalation of the emergency and mitigate the consequences of radioactive releases and exposure; along with these, urgent protective actions have to be implemented. Examples of urgent protective actions are: sheltering, evacuation of people residing near the plant and iodine thyroid blocking: these actions can be also precautionary if taken before or immediately after the beginning of the radioactive release. In the second phase of the emergency (the early response phase) which can last days or weeks, early protective actions, like relocation, restrictions on the food chain and on water supply etc., should be taken.
The mitigatory and protective actions should be part of a general protective strategy of the population, based on generic criteria and generic guidance values for restricting exposure of the emergency workers and of the general population.