Radiation Emergency Training, Education, and Tools
CDC provides technical assistance, training, and tools to help preparedness professionals and communities be ready for a radiation emergency.
Local health departments and emergency planners participated with CDC in training to prepare for radiation emergencies. Learn more about these success stories in radiation emergency preparedness.
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Training and Reference
- Radiation Risk Communication for Public Health
- Radiation Response Briefing Manual: A Guide for Key Leaders and Public Health Decision Makers (July 2020) [PDF – 20 MB]
- Radiation Basics Made Simple
- Myths of Radiation: Communicating in Radiation Emergencies
- Success Stories in Radiation Emergency Preparedness
- Population Monitoring in Radiation Emergencies [PDF – 12.7 MB]
- Screening People for External Contamination
- Radiation Epidemiology for Public Health Decision Making
- Psychological First Aid in Radiation Disasters
- Use of Environmental Monitoring Data to Support Public Health Decision Making in Radiation Emergencies
- Radiation Emergency Training for Poison Center Staff
- CRC Operations in Radiation Emergencies: An Overview for Public Health Personnel
- Medical Countermeasures for Radiation Exposure and Contamination
- Medical Response to Mass Casualties
- Just-in-Time Training for Hospital Clinicians
Tools and Resources
- Radiation Hazard Scale
- Radiation Thermometer
- CRC Electronic Data Collection Tool (CRC eTool)
- Community Reception Center (CRC) Drill Toolkit
- Community Reception Center Simulation Program for Leveraging and Evaluating Resources (CRC SimPLER)
- POD to CRC Planning Tool [DOCX – 1 MB] |[PDF – 3 MB]
- Radiological Terrorism: A Tool Kit for Public Health Officials
- Radiological Terrorism: A Tool Kit for Emergency Services Clinicians
- Internal Contamination Clinical Reference (ICCR) Application
- Use of Radiation Detection, Measuring, and Imaging Instruments to Assess Internal Contamination from Intakes of Radionuclides
- Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications (CERC): Radiation Emergencies [1 page – PDF – 940 KB] [Spanish [PDF – 559 KB]]
- Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications (CERC): Radiation Emergencies – Expanded [2 pages – PDF – 945 KB] [Spanish [PDF – 566 KB]]
Guidance and Recommendations
- Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation (May 2022) [PDF – 12.6 MB]
- Population Monitoring Guide [PDF – 12.7 MB]
- A Guide to Operating Public shelters in a Radiation Emergency [PDF – 8 MB]
- Guide for Handling Radioactive Contaminated Decedents [PDF – 1.4 MB]
- Guidance for Caring for Individuals Exposed to Polonium 210
- Japan Incident – CDC Recommendations for Public Health Follow-Up of Travelers [PDF – 239 KB]
- Japan Incident – Epidemiology Form for Public Health Follow-Up of Travelers [PDF – 61 KB]
- Japan Incident– CDC Revised Recommendation to Radiation Control Health Physics Staff 4 13 2011 [PDF – 94.5 KB]
- Interim Guidelines for Hospital Response to Mass Casualties from a Radiological Incident [PDF – 527 KB]
- Radiological/Nuclear Law Enforcement and Public Health Investigation Handbook [PDF – 5.1 MB]