Citation

van Asselt ED, Twenhöfel CJW, Duranova T, Smetsers RCGM, Bohunova J, Müller T. Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry)

DOI

10.1002/ieam.4375

PMID

33225604

Abstract

Nuclear accidents do not occur frequently, but their biological, psychosocial and/or economic consequences may be severe. Hence, a thorough preparation for nuclear emergencies is needed to provide appropriate actions. During the transition phase of an accident, it is vital to include stakeholders in the decision-making process in order to gain support for the recovery strategy to be implemented as well as to share different perspectives, knowledge and views on the decision problem. As nuclear accidents are complex, involving many relevant factors ranging from technical aspects such as health effects and costs to non-technical issues such as social acceptance, a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) may facilitate the decision-making process. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of MCDA in the transition phase of a nuclear accident. To this end, an MCDA tool, which uses the weighed sum of a set of normalized criteria, was explored in exercises carried out in panel meetings with a selected set of (largely) governmental stakeholders. The panel meetings were performed in the Netherlands and the Slovak Republic. The exercises were based on a fictitious case study affecting the urban environment of a small city. Prior to the meetings, a set of eight possible recovery strategies was identified. The use of the MCDA tool showed that it facilitated the decision-making process, as it allowed for a structured and transparent approach in which stakeholders with diverse backgrounds can express their opinions and perspectives and reach consensus on the most appropriate recovery strategy. As such, it could be applied to a broader field or research involving any chemical release necessitating an extended recovery strategy. Future research is needed in order to incorporate psychosocial effects of a nuclear accident as well as incorporating a broader group of stakeholders in exercises. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

recovery; decision-making process; MCDA; Nuclear accident