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SC 2-2:  Key Decision Points and Information Needed by Decision Makers in the Aftermath of a Nuclear or Radiological Terrorism Incident

The second meeting of the Committee was held on February 19-21, 2008. The Committee reviewed a number of presentations by Committee members that were relevant to the Committee’s charter. Using these presentations as discussion points the Committee defined the path forward for its report. The Committee continued to weigh the issue of how to best provide the reader what the Committee feels are significant differences between an RDD incident and an event in which a nuclear device is detonated. A revised outline of the report was developed and writing assignments were made for the next meeting to be held on April 16-17, 2008 in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, the Committee will also look at other NCRP reports being prepared (or in final review) to ensure that the most current information is available to be included in the report. Other reference material continues to be published that impacts the scope and depth of the report.

The third meeting of the Committee was held April 16-17, 2008 in conjunction with the annual meeting of NCRP.  In addition, the Committee met with Program Area Committee (PAC) 3 (which focuses on issues related to operational radiation safety) and discussed larger issues associated with NCRP radiological and nuclear emergency issues.  Writing assignments from the February meeting were reviewed and a significant amount of time was spent discussing a number of “current events” that have relevance to the work of the Committee.  Minor changes were made in the organization of the report and updated writing assignments were made.  A decision was made to engage representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) as that federal agency plays a major role in the event of an accident involving a radiological dispersion device or an improvised nuclear device.  The initial meeting with DOD was held in late June and additional information exchanges will take place at the next meeting which is scheduled for August 20-21, 2008 at the University of California-Davis Medical School in Sacramento, California.

The fourth meeting of the Committee was held August 13-14, 2008 at the University of California-Davis Medical School in Sacramento, California. A significant update to the draft report was proposed and accepted. The format was structured to be similar to NCRP Commentary No. 19, which emphasizes the critical points in an “Executive Summary” and follows with the details of those points in the body of the report. A number of the Committee members are concurrently serving on other bodies preparing similar information and the goal is to be consistent with those other documents. Revised assignments were made for Committee members and an additional meeting was added to the schedule to expedite completion of the report. The Committee will have two conference calls (one in October and one in November) prior to the next meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico on November 19-20, 2008.

The fifth meeting of the Committee was held November 19-20, 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Important presentations were made at the beginning of the meeting by Committee members who serve on other groups concurrently working on similar information. The draft report being prepared by SC 2-2 was reviewed in detail and the following decisions were made: the format will remain the one agreed upon at the meeting held in California in August; information that is discussed more than once in the report’s multiple sections is to be referred to rather than repeated in order to keep the document concise and readable; all Committee members recognized the need to complete most of the Committee’s work by the end of the next meeting to be held in conjunction with the Health Physics Society Mid-Year Meeting scheduled for San Antonio, Texas in early February 2009. The Committee will review the final draft report and there will be a conference call on January 22 to discuss any issues in preparation for the final meeting of SC 2-2 on February 4-5, 2009 in San Antonio. An additional meeting of the Chairman, Consultant and the NCRP Staff Consultant will take place in conjunction with the NCRP Annual Meeting to be held in Bethesda, Maryland in early March 2009 to make any final adjustments to the draft report prior to submitting it to the NCRP secretariat for PAC review.

The sixth meeting of the Committee was held February 4-5, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. Significant rewrites of the report were made including a recommended change to the title of the report which, in the opinion of the Committee, better represents the report’s contents and audience.  The new title is, “Preparedness for Responding to the Aftermath of Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism: A Guide for Decision Makers.” The Committee reviewed a new report entitled, “Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation,” issued on January 16, 2009 by the Homeland Security Council, Interagency Policy Coordination Subcommittee for Preparedness and Response to Radiological and Nuclear Threats.  Assignments were made at the meeting for subgroups of the Committee to review in detail the main sections of the SC 2-2 report in light of this and other relevant documents. Many of the Committee members attending the Annual Meeting of the NCRP met on March 4, 2009 at the NCRP office in Bethesda, Maryland. The final draft report will be delivered to NCRP for editing in April 2009.

Editing of the final draft of the report was completed by NCRP on June 9, 2009.  This version of the report was sent out for both PAC review and review by SC 2-2 on June 10 with a request for comments no later than July 9. The report has been titled, “Responding to Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism: A Guide for Decision Makers,”

Most of the NCRP SC 2-2 members met on July 11 during the Health Physics Society Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota to review comments submitted in the PAC review.  Most issues were resolved and those that were not were addressed after the meeting in consultation with the Committee Chairman, John W. Poston, Sr.  Additional revisions were made by NCRP SC 2-2 members during July and early August, with an extensive rewrite of the section of the report dealing with improvised nuclear devices and the addition of two new appendices.  The report was submitted to NCRP in mid-August. The report was formatted for Council review with a final review by both the Chairman and the NCRP Technical Staff Consultant.  The draft report was submitted for Council review on September 1, 2009. Responses to contingent Council member comments will be prepared early in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Minor changes were made to the draft report during January and February 2010. While attending the annual NCRP meeting, members of SC 2-2 performed an additional review and made additional changes. The revised report was approved for publication.

SC 2-3 Radiation Safety Issues for Image-Guided
Interventional Medical Procedures >

SC 2-5 Investigation of Radiological Incidents >

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