International Conference on Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies: Building the Future in an Evolving World

Themes and Topics

Innovative technologies for EPR: Opportunities, Lessons Learned and Challenges

Examples include:

• Digital tools:
- Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Data Science
- Digital Twins
- Telemedicine and remote assistance for radiological injuries
- Communication and notification
- Radiological assessment

• Virtual tools:
- Virtual Joint Information Center
- Virtual Emergency Operations Centre
- Virtual/Augmented Reality training
- Simulation/exercises

• Remote controlled and Autonomous devices:
- Drones
- Robots
- Optical monitoring devices

Challenges and proposed solutions in Protection Strategies

Examples include:

• Emerging reactor technologies such as advanced reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), and floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), including legal and regulatory considerations, Emergency Planning Zones (EPZs), and public acceptance
• Nuclear Harmonisation and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) for SMRs
• Assessment and prognosis
• Radiation monitoring strategy
• International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS) expansion
• Protection of the Public
• Protection of emergency workers and helpers
• Protection of food, agricultural products, water, and other aspects of the environment
• Environmental assessment
• Emergency response in non-permissive environments due to:
- armed conflicts
- natural disasters
- industrial accidents
- infectious outbreaks
- other global crises
• Implications of new transport technologies including commercial maritime nuclear propulsion, drone transport of radioactive sources, electric/hydrogen-powered ground transport, and autonomous vehicle transport

Termination, recovery and long-term response considerations

Examples include:

• Good practices and lessons learned
• Transition from emergency exposure situation to existing exposure situation
• Preparedness and response aspects in mitigating the long-term impact
• Non-radiological impacts

Nuclear Safety/Security Interface

Examples include:

• Impact on protective measures
• Effective arrangements for information sharing
• Balancing effective law enforcement and public safety
• Harmonisation in transboundary emergencies

Supporting First Responders: fire, police, civil protection, medical, military-civilian disaster response

Examples include:

• Training, exercises and guidance/information materials
• Past experiences and lessons learned
• Challenges and considerations
• Use of innovative tools for dose monitoring (e.g., autonomous devices, virtual tools, remote monitoring, etc.)

Capacity Building

Examples include:

• Drill and exercise programs
• Feedback from ConvEx-3
• Opportunities for training, knowledge management, and education (Post-graduate programmes)
• Capacity Building Centres, and Member States offering capacity building
• Good practices on national training programmes, including classroom, remote, hybrid, and hands-on/practical training
• Capacity/Skill/Knowledge retention

Communication in Emergencies

Examples include:

• Advances in coordinating and delivering timely, clear, accurate, understandable, empathetic, and consistent messages
• Communicating across local, national regional, and international levels
• Communication strategies to mitigate radiological consequences (e.g. how people can reduce their own exposure)
• Communication strategies to mitigate non-radiological consequences
• Knowing your audience - the shift toward public acceptance of nuclear power
• Building trust in authoritative information
• Data to support an understanding on how disinformation and deception potentially trigger unwarranted behaviours
• Public communication strategies for facilitating termination and recovery
• Communication systems resiliency
• Dealing with social media during an emergency

Public Health and Medical Response

Examples include:

• Medical triage and management of mass casualty event
• Advances in bioassay and biodosimetry
• Practical aspects of iodine thyroid blocking (ITB)
• Management of psychological impacts
• Addressing other non-radiological consequences, either acute or long-term
• Lessons from COVID and other mass public health threats with application to EPR
• Development of radionuclide decorporation agents
• Decontamination
• Medical follow-up programmes

Coordination and Cooperation Mechanisms in Emergency Preparedness and Response

Examples include:

• Training, procurement, interoperability, mobility of resources
• Unified Command and Control System (UCCS) features & principles
• All-hazards approach
• Convention on Assistance - International Assistance: RANET experiences and perspectives
• Experiences in operating an Emergency Operations Centre
• Regional cooperation arrangements
• Lessons learned from coordinating different assistance mechanisms

Strategy for Establishing EPR arrangements for radiological emergencies in every Member State

Examples include:

• Non-nuclear and nuclear neighbours - harmonisation
• Border control
• Scrap metal
• High-activity radioactive sources
• Conditions for countries establishing radiotherapy and radiopharmaceutical programmes (e.g., IAEA Rays of Hope initiative)
• Addressing nuclear and radiological emergencies within a national all-hazard emergency management system
• Radiological transport incidents and accidents
• Loss or theft of dangerous radioactive sources
• Malicious acts involving radioactive or nuclear material