Regulator’s role in enhancing transparency in informing ... Documents/Action 11... · Atomic...

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, India1

Regulator’s role in enhancing transparency in informing

the public – The Mayapuri Accident

R. BhattacharyaSecretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)

Director, Industrial Plants Safety Division, AERB

&

Director, Information & Technical Services Division, AERB

Mumbai, India

email: [email protected]

International Experts’ Meeting on Enhancing

Transparency and Communication

Effectiveness in the event of a Nuclear or

Radiological Emergency

18-20 June, 2012

Vienna, Austria

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Outline

� About AERB

� Handling Radiation Emergencies

� Mayapuri Radiological accident

� About the Accident

� Public communication

� Challenges faced

� Lessons Learnt

� Effectiveness and Transparency in Public Communication

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Evolution of Nuclear & Radiation Safety Regulation

� Mid fifties: Self regulation (APSARA : 1956)

� Sixties: Safety monitoring and surveillance by designated groups

in BARC [Health Physics Division (DAE facilities); Directorate of

Radiation Protection(non-DAE facilities)]� Based on DRP’s review DAE used to issue NOC for import of radioactive sources

to institutions

� 1971: Radiation Protection Rules promulgated� Director, DRP as competent authority

� 1972: DAE – Safety Review Committee� RAPS-1 Commissioning

� All DAE Units

� 1983: Atomic Energy Regulatory Board

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Means of Public Information

� Annual Report: information on consents issued, occupational exposure,

industrial safety statistics, radioactive discharges, environmental dose,

significant events, enforcement actions, safety promotional activities etc.

� Newsletters: information on quarterly activities

� Website

� Press Releases

� Interviews

� Awareness Programmes

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Emergency in Radiation Facilities

Have limited environmental impact. Normally the actionsrequired are;� Rescue the injured

� Access control by cordoning the area

� Contain the radioactive source

� Decontamination of the affected area

� Safe disposal of the damaged source

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o Identification, Recovery, accounting, affected area monitoring & Disposal of Radioactive Source

o Rescue & Relief: Rescue, Evacuate , Exposure assessment, Medical Aid etc as per guidelines

o Large scale Decontamination & Rehabilitation: Provide shelters, decontamination of areas and buildings

o Habitat clearance

Emergencies involving Orphan sources

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Response to Radiological Emergency

Public, Media Other Stake Holders: IB, Police etc

Radiological Incident : Information

Mobilize Resources :• NDMA, SDMA, DDMA• CMG• AERB• DAE ERCs (22)• MHA

Coordinate Actions Through :• District authorities• NDRF• SDRF / DDRF• Other Resources

After Information DC/DM (DDMA) to take Full Charge of the situation

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The Mayapuri Accident

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Scrap market, Mayapuri


Action on 1st information: April 7-9, 2010 (Initial Phase)

� April 7, 2010 (afternoon) message received at AERB from a

Hospital at Delhi – An owner (32 yrs) of a junk shop suspected of

injuries from exposure to radiation (along with medical report)

� April 7, 2010 (evening) two officers from AERB monitored the

area in & around the junk shop and found high levels of radiation

(~20 mGy/h). They segregated contaminated junk, shielded with

available steel plates & cordoned off the area.

� Crisis Management Group (CMG) of Department of Atomic Energy was activated


� April 8, 2010, CMG convened a meeting. Planning & Coordination

for source recovery operation was finalized. A team of officers of

AERB, other DAE units, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

and police was formed.

� In the night hours of April 9, 2010 the team could identify the

source (Cobalt-60), locate and recover all sources present in the

shop (about 90 % of total inventory)

� The recovered sources were transferred into shielding flask and

sent to Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS), nearest DAE unit for

safe & secure storage and further investigation.


Action on 2nd information: April 13-14, 2010

� On April 13, 2010 at about 16:00 hrs a surveillance check by DelhiEmergency Response Centre (ERC) revealed elevated radiation level ata nearby closed junk shop.

� In the night hours of April 14, 2010 the team could identify, locate andrecover two pencils and a multiple source cage with capacity toaccommodate 48 pencils (about 10 % of total inventory). Recoveredsources were transferred to NAPS in a shielding flask.

� The team also carried out radiation survey of about 800 shops. General

radiation level observed was near background (80 – 180 nGy/h). The

owner of the shop and his coworkers did not show any sign of radiation

injury.


Action on 3rd information April 16-17, 2010

� On April 16, 2010 information was received that a person has been

admitted to a hospital of Delhi with localized radiation injury.

� The team recovered the source from the wallet of the injured person

and transferred to shielding flask and transported to NAPS, Narora

Infrastructure

� Delhi Police Force

� Emergency Response Centres (ERCs)

� National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

� Experts from units of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)


• A team of medical officers from Department of Atomic Energy

(DAE) provided guidance to the local hospitals in treatment of the

injured persons.

• Out of seven, one succumbed to the radiation injuries. Other six

persons have been discharged from the hospitals on various dates,

last one being on May 24, 2010.

• In a campaign to screen the individuals (for medical management)

suspected to have received high doses, bio-dosimetry (CA test) of

more than 40 blood samples of the persons having even a remote

connection with the incident was carried out. None of them have

shown any significant exposure to radiation.


Estimated dose due to single exposure and INES

reporting

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Worker Dose (Gy)

Worker 1 3.7

Worker 2 0.6

Worker 3 0.4

Worker 4 1.6

Worker 5 1.8

Worker 6 1.2

Worker 7 1.3

Event Reported as INES Level-4


� 1969: Professor of Chemistry Dept, Delhi University imported Gamma

Cell-220 research irradiator (containing Co-60) from Atomic Energy of

Canada Limited, Canada. Authorisation issued by DRP, BARC

� 1985: Professor retired. The gamma cell, thereafter remained unused.

� February 2010: Delhi university auctioned the gamma cell to a scrap

dealer (based on decision made by a committee of professors) and

purchased by a junk material dealer of Mayapuri, Delhi.

� April, 2010: This Gamma Cell was dismantled by local workers, none of

these workers showed any symptoms of radiation effects. Worker ‘5’, who

died on April 29, 2010 of radiation injuries, had worked on the SS part

(cage with pencils) after getting it from the dealer who had dismantled it.

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What had happened?????


More about the ill-fated gamma cell...

� Self contained dry source storage irradiator with a cylinder source

cage which can hold 48 pencils.

� Housed 16 pencils shielded by 3 tons of Pb

� Each pencil had 7 slugs and 2 dummy spacers.

� Total activity content of the cell: 3978 Ci

(as of Aug, 1969)

� Activity content in pencil: 276Ci

� Activity content in slug: 20-87 Ci

� Authorisation issued by DRP in 1970. Undertaking by Delhi University:

“radiation sources of gamma cell will not be sold, rented or

transferred to any other institution”.

Since Gamma cell is considered as inherently safe equipment, it was not

subjected to periodic regulatory inspection as is done for other sources.

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April 16

• A team of AERB & Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology (BRIT) officers

conducted the inspection.

• Team could identify a 48 slot cage of a self contained dry storage irradiator

(gamma cell) and its pencils

• The gamma cell was not manufactured in India

• Low activity level found in source pencils indicated that they might have been

manufactured 30-40 years ago

May 3&4

• A team of AERB & BRIT officers conducted further inspection.

• All the sources of the gamma cell (112 slugs from 16 pencils) were identified &

accounted for.

Inspection of recovered sources at

Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS)


Projected assessment of radiation dose

Radiological status due to presence of contamination mainly

in soil on the road in front of the shop and neighbouring

shops, from where Co-60 sources were recovered:

� Before removing the contaminated soil and

concretisation: < 10 mSv/a

� After decontamination and concretization: < 1mSv/a

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SOURCE SEARCH OPERATION

4:30 hrs, April 9,2010


Safe recovery operation of discovered sources

5:30 hrs, April 9, 2010


Relocating the flask to appropriate position

5:40 hrs, April 9, 2010


Source recovered from vessel

9:15 hrs, April 9, 2010


Source recovery operation Phase 2 (April 13-14, 2010)

Shop No. D-127, 1:00 hrs April 14, 2010

Source identification operation

Total 7

man-mSvwhole body dose

received in

recovery

operation


Source cage photographed at NAPS, One source pencil fitted to one

of the slots ( recovery from Phase 2)

Photographs snapped at NAPS on April 16, 2010 during investigation


A victim showing blackening of nail due to radiation


Operation decontamination – Phase -1

Radiation level at shutter D2/32

23:00 hrs, May 15, 2010


Radiation fields brought

down from 0.5mSv/hr-

1mSv/hr to 15µSv/hr at

the entrance door where

majority of sources were

found.


Scrap being removed from shop No. D2/32

May 16, 2010


Team involved in decontamination operation Phase -2

May 22-24, 2010


Source pencils transported in a lead container for proper disposal


What went wrong????

• Violation of Radiation Protection Rules and Safe Disposal of

Radioactive Wastes Rules by DU

• Lack of awareness on use of sources amongst DU staff

• Non availability of trained personnel at DU (Chemistry Dept.)

• Carelessness on the part of DU

• User of the gamma cell retired about 25 years back

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Police has filed complaint against the Professors of the committee

involved in auction of the gamma cell which is sub-judice.


• Identification and ‘cordoning off’ of shops / area

• Prompt recovery of sources

• Survey of all shops in the junk market

• Conducted awareness programme for junk shop dealers

• Distribution of leaflets on precautionary measures for shop dealers

• Guidance and support to medical staff of hospitals in Delhi

• Initiation of regulatory action against DU

• Accounting of all sources of gamma cell & their safe storage

• Accounting of other sources available with DU

• Decontamination of junk, floor of shop & 50 m. road

Actions taken: short term


Measures taken after the accident

� Installation of radiation detection systems at entry/exit of airports,

sea-ports, inland container depots and other land ports.

� Further efforts to bring legacy sources (which may have been in

existence from periods when regulatory controls were still in the

evolving stage) under regulatory control by scanning old records.

� Installation of Web based Communication system (ARIS) for

strengthening regulatory control on radiation facilities initiated.

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� Updating the inventory of sources (computerisation of database) based on

inputs from

� Ministry of HRD / UGC

�

� Ministry of Health

� Ministry of Industries

� Coal Authority of India Ltd.

� Oil and Natural Gas Commission

� Source suppliers and

� Response to advertisements issued in newspapers periodically

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� Members of scrap association were sensitized to monitor the scrap for

radiation. On May 6, 2010 AERB organized an awareness programme for

scrap dealers and workers of Mayapuri scrap market.

� The requirement of pre-shipment inspection certificate for consignments

imported to India declaring that they do not contain any type of hazardous,

toxic waste, radioactive contaminated waste has been notified by concerned

ministry.

� Enhanced regulatory control by increasing frequency of inspections and

establishment of Regional Centres by AERB.

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Challenges faced during this period….1/3

� Concerns/ Apprehensions amongst public:

� Extent and nature of hazard

� Health status of affected persons

� A malicious act?

� Imported metal scrap?

� Anger of the public.

� Selective hearing and understanding by public during a crisis

� Effectiveness of regulatory control system questioned

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� ‘Diverse opinions’ in news channels

� Half-baked information

� Sensitization by media

� Delay in ascertaining facts. If the flow of information is

perceived as slow, the media could be fed with less reliable

sources and speculation such as:

� “India is being used as the dumping ground for disused sources”

� “The number of source pencils retrieved is a small fraction of the

original number and many source pencils are still missing”

� The NGO Greenpeace reported on May 14th 2010, after three

weeks of first reporting of the incident, that at certain locations in

the scrap yard, the radiation levels were much higher (5000 times

the background) -Re-surfacing of anxiety amongst the local population


� High pressure on the regulator to provide quick information-‘responsibly’ without causing heightened fear to too many agencies.

� Requirement of support from local organisations.

� The most effective way of conveying doses / levels of contamination / releases to public.

� ‘micro’, ‘milli’, ‘Mega’ ‘Tera’; Bq, Sv. ………….. are daunting

� phrases like ‘…. so many times natural background’ or

‘…. so many times normal limit’……. can be incomprehensible and alarming.

� What needs to be conveyed is perspective on health impact of such doses / releases etc.

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Reported certain hotspots of 500µSv/hr while background was 0.1µSv/hr


...and the challenges were addressed by prompt

communication with media and public

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Different means of communication used during and

after the incident

� Press releases issued at periodic intervals.

� Interviews by Top AERB officials

� AERB website updated regularly.

� Parliament sessions attended by AERB officials to respond

to the queries.

� Telephonic Queries of media responded .

� Radiation awareness programme was organized by AERB in

coordination with Public Awareness Division (PAD) of

Department of Atomic Energy(DAE) and other agencies.

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Awareness Programmes

Senior Officer from AERB delivering lecture at Delhi University


Addressing delegates at One-Day awareness programme conducted for research facilities handling open radioisotopes

Awareness Programmes


Glimpses of exercise-NDRF in action

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• ITDB initial notification on the incident was sent on April 22, 2010

• ITDB update of incident was sent on May 10, 2010

• INES provisional rating and final rating were sent

• Presentation at IAEA on the subject on May 18, 2010

Communication to International bodies


Typical parliament questions

� Whether it is a fact that radioactive cobalt-60 had been sold to

the scrap dealer by Delhi University in April 2010?

� the number of people affected by coming in contact with Cobalt

60 so far?

� the steps being taken by Government so that such incidents may

not occur in the future ?

� Whether Government has formulated any policy on radiation so

far on disposal of biomedical and radioactive waste?

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The Success Story: transparency in Public

Communication

� The swift and effective action - an important role in confidence

and credibility building with the locals.

� Speedy retrieval of the radioactive source pencils;

identification of source device & confirmation of recovery of

all radioactive material - a big deterrent for negative press

coverage

� Continuous and updated press releases by AERB - Allayed

misgivings and fears of radiation amongst general public.

� Awareness campaigns at the site- proved extremely useful to

ease the tensions

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Some lessons…

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� Special nature & requirement of public information during emergency

� Quick response required

� All information may not be available

� Situation of duress

� Pre-requisites for successful crisis communication

� Pre - existing healthy relation between authorities and public

- trust, openness, rapport, channels of communication

� Preparedness developed during peace time:

- Strategies and procedures based on past experience

- “Emergency communication cell”, which can be activated quickly when needed

- Access to reliable & timely information and data from the field / monitoring provisions


...lessons for regulatory body

� NGOs and media should be made aware and the regulator should

gain more trust and credibility.

� Regulator should release quick and authentic information in order

to avoid mis-reporting by the media.

� Regulator should build relations with the media.

� Regulator must develop the capability to sensitively deal with the

affected and angry people to ensure the safety of

Spokesperson(s).

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Tasks in hand for enhancing the Public Information during

Emergency scenarios

� Increasing public awareness on nuclear & radiation safety

� Public involvement in emergency preparedness

� Creation of robust infrastructure for response and clearly

identified fall back provisions (evacuation routes, shelters,

decontamination centers, medical treatment etc.)

� Capacity building by NDMA

� Addressing the observed deficiencies in the exercises

conducted by NDMA

� Establishment of a monitoring & response cell at AERB

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Communication - Process

Detection Processing Declaration

Channel(s)

Reception Interpretation Feedback

>> Transparency

>> Effectiveness


Enhancing Transparency

� Timely / Advance Detection of

Emergency

� Reliable Source

� Quick Response

� Fast Processing of

Information

� Computer Based Systems

� Knowledge Database

Support

� Analysis of Consequences

� Un-biased Declaration (disclosure)

of information

� Regular / timely updation of

Information

� Direct access to non-sensitive

information

� General Measures

� Interaction with other bodies

� Management Support

� Avoiding exaggerations / rumors

� Enforcing Legal / Regulatory

Framework


Enhancing Effectiveness

� Reliable and Robust Channel (s)

� Redundant and Dedicated

Networks

� Noise / Congestion-free

Transmission

� Ensuring Last Mile Connectivity

� Ensured Reception

� Technology Dissemination

� Multiple Mode of

Communication

� Accurate feedback Mechanism

� Correct Interpretation by

recipient(s)

� Public Education &

Awareness

� Consideration to local

language / culture / rituals

� Selective Messaging (instead

of broadcast)

� Indentifying receiver’s location

(GPRS…?)

� Off-site Help-lines


THANK YOU

“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Regulator’s role in enhancing transparency in informing ... Documents/Action 11... · Atomic...

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