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Citation
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Taci X, Poletto G, Trotti F, Gramegna F, Zorz A, Giraudo C, Venturini F, Seno F, Realdon N, Vettor R, Faoro S, Cecchin D. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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A nuclear emergency is a type of accident that can expose a highly variable number of people to isotopes and radiation [1]. The worst-case scenario involves the detonation of a military nuclear weapon. The radioactive fallout is very complex, and the main threat is the exposure to external radiation.
Among the other possible causes of nuclear disasters, accidents or acts of sabotage at nuclear power plants like the [2, 3] explosions in the reactors in Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) led to the release of large amounts of radioactive substances into the atmosphere, with severe consequences, especially for the population living closest to the power plant, and for the environment [1, 3]. The most important routes of contamination were external irradiation from deposition on the ground and ingestion, followed by inhalation and irradiation due to the passage of the "radioactive cloud." If the radionuclides ingested were I-131 Cs-137 and Cs-134; then, the spectrum of isotopes inhaled broadens, mainly to include Ru-103, Te-132, I-131, Cs-134, Cs-136, Cs-137, Ba-140, Ru-106, and Ce-141 [4]. The dose to which individuals might be exposed depends largely on the urban conditions and environmental characteristics of the area affected at the time of the accident. National emergency management plans [5] could, for example, consider the location of the nuclear power plant to identify possible scenarios: plants up to 200 km from the country's border (the plan envisages possible iodo-prophylaxis [5, 6], sheltering indoors, and food restrictions); those more than 200 km from the border (preventive measures, such as food restrictions, and protecting agricultural products and livestock); and plants in non-European countries (no protective measures are suggested).
Nuclear emergencies can also be caused by the detonation of radiological dispersion devices (RDDs) loaded with isotopes, also known as "dirty bombs" [7]. In this case, the types of radioactive substance that can enter the atmosphere/air and could be inhaled are more limited (probably just one, because fission does not occur). The impact of such a nuclear emergency is hard to estimate but predictive analyses suggest that the numbers of people involved would be fairly small, with a relatively low health risk related to radioactive fallout [8]. Although numerous different isotopes can be used in RDDs, the options can be reasonably narrowed down to the nine most widely available: americium-241 (241Am), californium-252 (252Cf), cesium-137 (137Cs), cobalt-60 (60Co), iridium-192 (192Ir), plutonium-238 (238Pu), polonium-210 (210Po), radium-226 (226Ra), and strontium-90 (90Sr) [9].
Malicious nuclear contamination of the environment is another possibility...
Language: en |