A nuclear emergency occurs when radioactive substances are released into the environment following an accident in nuclear installations, in storage facilities for irradiated fuel or in radioactive waste deposits, in nuclear-powered ships, in satellites with nuclear systems on board or during the transport of irradiated fuel.
A radiological emergency, on the other hand, refers to events not connected to nuclear plants but which involve the diffusion of radioactive substances in the environment by incidental events such as in industries, hospitals and research laboratories or during the transport of radioactive material.
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, the Italian National Institute of Health) carries on various activities to deal with these emergencies. It participates in the Data Processing and Evaluation Centre (Cevad), the technical evaluation structure that operates in support of the Department of Civil Protection in the event of emergencies, contributes to information about the population and operators, and finally, in European projects to improve emergency preparedness with a radiation protection approach.
Guidelines and other documents of the World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (to know more: https://extranet.who.int/kobe_centre/en/project-details/GUIDANCE_ResearchMethods_HealthEDRM)
