Emergency Classification of Radiological Events
From the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - September 9, 2004
An Emergency Classification is a set of plant conditions which indicate
a level of risk to the public. Both nuclear power plants and research
and test reactors use the four emergency classifications listed below
in order of increasing severity. The vast majority of events reported
to the NRC are routine in nature and do not require activation of our
incident response program.
- Notification of Unusual Event - Under this category,
events are in process or have occurred which indicate potential
degradation in the level of safety of the plant. No release of
radioactive material requiring offsite response or monitoring is expected
unless further degradation occurs.
- Alert - If an alert is declared, events are in process
or have occurred which involve an actual or potential substantial degradation
in the level of safety of the plant. Any releases of radioactive material
from the plant are expected to be limited to a small fraction of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protective
action guides (PAGs).
- Site Area Emergency - A site area emergency involves
events in process or which have occurred that result in actual or likely
major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public.
Any releases of radioactive material are not expected to exceed the
EPA PAGs except near the site boundary.
- General Emergency - A general emergency involves
actual or imminent substantial core damage or melting of reactor fuel
with the potential for loss of containment integrity. Radioactive releases
during a general emergency can reasonably be expected to exceed the
EPA PAGs for more than the immediate site area.
The following are emergency classifications for nuclear materials and
fuel cycle facility licensees:
- Alert - Events may occur, are in progress, or have
occurred that could lead to a release of radioactive material[s], but
the release is not expected to require a response by an offsite response
organization to protect people offsite.
- Site Area Emergency - Events may occur, are in progress,
or have occurred that could lead to a significant release of radioactive
material[s], and the release could require a response by offsite response
organizations to protect people offsite.
The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only.
Always consult your doctor for medical advice.
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