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Overview

Nuclear energy is an important source of clean, affordable and reliable energy; however, like every

other source of energy, nuclear power does have risk and benefits. There is no way to guarantee there will never be an accident, but the nuclear industry and all levels of government prepare and build safeguards to help protect against them or contain them if they were to happen.

Federal laws for nuclear facilities are extremely strict. In order to comply with a plant's licensing requirements and safety programs, combined efforts of the plant; federal, state and local governments; and volunteer organizations are required. Preparedness is met through full-scale exercise programs of the emergency response capabilities of these organizations.

By residing within a 50-mile radius of a nuclear facility, a number of Iowans are impacted by the regulatory requirements of five nuclear power plants. Iowa has one nuclear power plant located within the border, and four others near the state's borders with Illinois and Nebraska to impact citizens. Residents experience exercise activities involving anyone, or all, of the participants - the power plant; government agencies; and volunteer organizations.

This booklet provides media with nuclear energy education and details the efforts to ensure the safety of the public and the environment. Questions about radiological preparedness can be directed to the Administrator of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) at 515-725-3231.

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Understanding Nuclear Energy

N uclear energy, released in the form of heat, is produced when atoms separate. A nuclear power plant uses this

heat to produce electricity without the use of fossil fuels. Nuclear energy is the world's largest source of emission-free energy.

Nuclear power plants are built with a "defense-in­depth" safety design and construction. The struc­ture containing the reactor is called the containment building. The containment building is made of four­foot thick, steel-reinforced concrete. The reactor itself is housed in a massive steel vessel four to eight inches thick and weighing more than 300 tons.

Redundant safety systems are designed to maintain reactor safety at all times. The redundancy ensures. that every measure taken to keep a plant safe can be done in two or more ways.

Federally licensed operators en­sure safe plant operation. Highly trained professionals train one week out of every five and qual­ify for their licenses every two years.

~POINT OF INTEREST

Statistics from the u .S. Bureau

of Labor show it's safer to

work at a nuclear power plant

than in the manufacturing

sector and even in the real

estate and finance industries.

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Nuclear Plant Security Following 9-11

Security for the nuclear energy industry prior to September 11,2001, was resilient; however, federal

regulators immediately called for nuclear power plants across the country to go to the highest level of security.

Since 2001, the industry has remained at a heightened level of alert and spent an additional $1.2 billion in security related improvements. The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) reports security forces at nuclear plants have increased 60 percent to nearly' 8,000 officers. These officers are armed and able to respond around the clock.

Additional security related improvements include: • Extending and fortifying security parameters • Increasing patrols within security zones • Installing barriers to protect from vehicle bombs • Installing additional high-tech surveillance equipment • Strengthening coordination of security efforts with local,

state, and federal agencies.

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Transporting Used Nuclear Fuel

A permanent storage area for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is planned for Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The Department of Energy (DOE) goal is to have shipments to the facility by 2012.

By nature of geography, shipments will pass through Iowa and other Midwestern states, not only from their own plants, but from the Northeast and the South.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NRC share authority for regulating the transportation of radioactive waste and materials. NRC oversees the packaging and physical protection of shipment while en route. The DOT is responsible for driver education and training, route selection and loading.

Rail is the primary method selected by DOE to move nuclear waste. Using trains decreases the chance spent nuclear fuel or radio­active waste will be in­volved in accidents with other hazardous materials and allows states easier access to inspect, escort and track shipments.

ItIpOINT OF INTEREST Shippers are required to prepare an emergency response plan to

No injuries or fatalities have establish the local state and fed-, resulted from the radioactive eral agency roles that would re-contents of Department of spond to any incidents.

Energy shipments.

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Potassium Iodide (KI)

According to the NRC, if taken properly, potassium iodide (Kl) will help reduce the dose of radiation to the thyroid from radioactive iodine, and reduce the risk of developing thyroid cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance on the dosage of Kl; however in the event of an emergency, Kl is to be used to supplement evacuation or sheltering, not to take the place of these actions.

Some radiological emergencies may release radioactive io­dine to the environment. Since iodine concentrates in the thyroid, breathing in or ingesting of food contaminated with radioactive iodine can lead to radiation injury to the thyroid, including increased risk of thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases.

Kl is a salt, similar to table salt. It is routinely added to table salt to make it "iodized". Kl has been approved by the FDA as a nonprescription drug for use as a "blocking agent" to prevent the human thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. Its effectiveness will depend on a variety of factors and iodized table salt will not provide enough iodine to protect the thyroid and should not be used as a substitute for pure Kl. Attempting to use table salt as a substitute may result in harm, including death.

Kl only protects the thyroid from internal exposure to radio­active iodine. Kl does not protect against radiation received from sources external to the body, such as the radiation from the radioactive plume or from exposure to radioactive mate­rial deposited in the ground.

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Exercises and Drills

Nuclear power plant exercises serve a variety of purposes. Exercises are developed through the efforts

of lead state emergency management agencies and supporting agencies in accordance with federal requirements.

I , Exercises are unrehearsed and only a few key individuals have advance information of the sequence of events that will occur. The activity be­gins with a simulated, on-site incident at the nuclear facility and develops into a situation

which requires off-site involvement including state and local governments and volunteer organizations.

Because four of the five nuclear power plants impacting Iowa citizens are located outside state borders, Iowa's HSEMD works closely with officials of the adjacent state emergency management office within which the plant is based.

Coordination between the states involved is vital to the suc­cess of the exercise. One of the objectives tested in every exercise is the coordination and dissemination of emergency information through a variety of channels.

Nuclear facility exercises also provide an opportunity for the involvement of the news media and offers a number of potential news items.

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Emergency Facilities

Emergency Operations Center In the event of either a simu­lated or actual nuclear incident, Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) are activated. EOC staff represents the affected plant, lead state emergency management agencies, supporting state government agencies, volunteer organizations and county and municipal governments located within a 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).

Joint Information Center

0Special point of interest

Residents within the IO-mile

EPZ are regularly provided

emergency information

materials (brochures, the

phone book, calendars, utility

bills, etc.) containing informa­

tion on radiation, evacuation

and sheltering instructions and

special arrangements for the

handicapped.

To ensure the public's safety, a Joint Information Center (HC) is established to meet the needs of the media. Nuclear power plant facilities refer to this centralized location as the Joint Information Center (HC). In the event of a radiological emergency occurring, two HC locations are activated:

Primary HC location : Near the plant site. From this location, updated information is issued on a periodic basis as changes in plant conditions occur.

Secondary HC location: State EOC, Joint Forces Headquarters, Johnston, Iowa.

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IOWA

ILLINOIS

Ft. Calhoun

+A . I . pprOXlmate ocatlOus

Duane Arnold Energy Center Palo, Iowa Operated by: FPL Energy -¢> A 580,000 megawatt plant approximately

15 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids. -¢> Began operation in June 1974. -¢> Current operating license expires 2014.

Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Cordova, Illinois Operated by: Exelon Nuclear -¢> A two-unit facility 120 west of Chicago

and 183 miles east of Des Moines. -¢> Operating license expires 2012. -¢> Each unit is capable of producing enough

power to support the electricity needs of over one million average American homes.

0Special point of interest

Nuclear energy has been used since 1953 to power U.S. navy vessels

and since 1955 to provide electricity for home use.

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Radiological Plans

T he state's plan to respond to a nuclear emergency is called the Iowa Radiological Emergency Response Plan

(RERP). Based on guidance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the response plan is maintained by the Iowa HSEMD and assigns tasks and responsibilities to various agencies responding during a nuclear emergency.

The RERP is the blueprint for the operation and cooperation of every state entity respond­ing to a nuclear emergency. The emergency operation in­cludes local and state govern­ment; NRC, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DOE and United States Department of Agriculture; and support or volunteer organizations such as the. Civil Air Patrol, Ameri­can Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

A chain of command is addressed in the plan to ensure the responsibilities are effectively executed; however, the Gov­ernor has the ultimate authority for rec­ommending evacuation, sheltering, and other protective actions.

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Emergency Action Levels

The response to any nuclear incident depends upon the

seriousness and the potential danger. The RERP follows the

NRC 's classification scheme for gauging the seriousness of a

nuclear incident and the corresponding activities. The NRC's

four established Emergency Action Levels (EALs) for

a nuclear power plant. The four classifications and their

definitions are (in order of severity):

Unusual Event (lowest classification)

Events out of the ordinary are in process or have occurred

which indicate a potential degradation of the level of the safety

of the plant.

Alert Events are in progress or have occurred which involve actual

or potential substantial degradation of the level of safety of the

plant.

Site Area Emergency Events are in progress or have occurred which involve

actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed

for protection of the public.

General Emergency (most serious): Events are in progress or have

occurred which involve actual

or imminent substantial core

degradation or melting with potential for loss of containment integrity.

0Special point of interest

No general emergency has

taken place since the NRC

established the

classification system in 1980.

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Protective Actions

A uthorities may advise residents in certain designated ar­eas near the plant to take shelter or evacuate immediately

in the event of a nuclear power plant incident.

Sheltering instructions:

~ Immediately go inside. Close all windows and doors.

~ Tum off fans, air conditioners, and close any air intakes.

~ Tune to the local Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) radio/ television station for current developments and further instructions.

~ If you have come in from outside, wash your hands and face as a minimum, particularly before handling or eating food. If possible, shower with either cool or lukewarm water.

~Wash any items of clothing you were wearing outside.

~Cover all opened food containers.

~Do not use your telephone unless it is absolutely necessary- keep phone lines open for emergencies.

~Stay sheltered until you receive official notice that it is safe to go out.

Reception/Registration Center

In the event of an order to evacuate reception/registration centers will be opened. These centers have been pre­designated, according to the plans, for each reactor site. These centers are identified in the emergency public infor­mation messages as well as the recommended routes to take to get there.

The purpose of a reception/registration center is to register and monitor persons evacuating an area. Vehicles will also be inspected to determine the presence of radioactive particu­lates to prevent them from spreading and/or being inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin.

These centers are staffed with trained personnel who utilize special radiation equipment (gieger counters) in order to de­tect if evacuees have come into contact with any releases of radioactivity. A record is established and maintained for each individual passing through the reception center. 14

Protective Actions

If residents within designated sub-areas near the plant are asked to evacuate the area in the event of a nuclear power plant incident they should:

Evacuation tips: --¢> Remain calm.

--¢>Gather personal supply kit.

0Special point of interest

Items for a personal supply kit: Soap Eyeglasses Towels Dentures Shaving articles Credit Cards Toothpaste Baby Foods Toothbrush Diapers Toilet Paper Medicines

--¢> Provide for pets and livestock, sheltering with food and water where possible . . Pets are not currently allowed into reception centers.

Sanitary Supplies Portable Radio Flashlight/Batteries

--¢>Shut off appliances and lock doors and windows.

--¢>Tune to the EAS radio/television station for details.

--¢> Proceed directly to the designated registration center. Registering enables officials to: monitor evacuation procedures, detect radiation exposure, decontaminate public and vehicles to prevent the spread of radioactivity, assist in finding temporary living accommodations, provide information on the location of residents to concerned family and friends.

--¢> If transportation is needed, contact the County Sheriffs Office.

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".

Re-entry and Recovery

The primary concern during a nuclear power plant incident, is the protection of the affected residents. At

the termination of emergency conditions at the reactor site, and prior to implementing recovery or re-entry procedures, state authorities will assess environmental conditions and determine any continued threats to the safety of the public. These procedures require that environmental radiological data be gathered and analyzed. Based upon a review ofthe data, authorities will issue re-entering recommendations to the public in the areas of concern.

The recovery/re-entry procedures are a reversal of the shelter and evacuation procedures, consequently, considerations are again given to problem areas of health recommendations, public advisories, traffic control, security, and transportation needs with a special emphasis placed upon the mobility impaired, hospital patients, and nursing home residents.

Public information messages are primarily released via the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to ensure the maximum coverage and effectiveness of the re-entry procedures.

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Glossary

Atom: Basic building block of all matter. The smallest piece of an element which cannot be divided or broken up by chemical means.

Controlled area: An area where entry, activities, and exit are controlled to help ensure radiation protection and prevent the spread of contamination.

Contamination: Deposition of radioactive material in any place where it is not desired, particularly where its presence can be harmful.

Decontamination: The reduction or removal of contaminating radioactive material from a structure, area, object, or person.

Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ): An area roughly a ten mile circle around a nuclear power plant.

Fission: The splitting of atoms that results in the release of large amounts of energy. Two or three neutrons are usually released during this event. Fission occurs either naturally or when an atom's nucleus is bombarded by neutrons.

Geiger counter, or G-M meter: An instrument used to detect and measure radiation.

Nuclear energy: Energy, usually in the form of heat or electricity, produced by the process of nuclear fission within a nuclear reactor.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): a U.S. agency chartered to regulating commercial nuclear applications (including nuclear power plants, medical and industrial uses).

Radiation: Energy traveling through space.

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Produced by:

Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management

7105 N.W. 70th Avenue Camp Dodge, Bldg. W-4 Johnston, IA 50131 -1824

www.iowahomelandsecurity.org

Iowa Department of Public Health

Lucas State Office Building 321 East 12th Street

Des Moines, IA 50319 www.idph.state.ia.us