Abstract
Both the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear reactor disasters had a huge impact on nuclear energy policy in general and in particular on nuclear emergency planning and response. The Chernobyl accident demonstrated the need for additional planning for precautionary protective actions on food production on a large scale as well as for international harmonization of emergency preparedness and response. As a consequence, the German Integrated Measurement and Information System (IMIS) was established. The Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident demonstrated not only the possibility of severe beyond design accidents in western-type light water reactors but also highlighted the need for in-depth preparation of protection strategies, in particular for INES-7-category accidents, and the outstanding role of psychosocial issues in disaster mitigation and recovery. Following guidance of international bodies and the European directive 2013/59/EURATOM, the Federal Government of Germany reviewed and updated its entire nuclear emergency planning and response framework since 2011. Under the new German radiation protection law, a process of implementing a modern nuclear emergency management system is currently under way.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Wirth E, Weiss W. Optimisation of the German Integrated Information and Measurement System (IMIS). Towards harmonisation of radiation protection in Europe: European IRPA Congress 2002, Florence, Italy, 8–11 October 2002.
Liktharev IA, et al. Thyroid cancer in the Ukraine. Nature. 1995;375:365.
Masson O, Baeza A, Bieringer J, Brudecki K, Bucci S, Cappai M, et al. Tracking of airborne radionuclides from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors by European networks. Environ Sci Technol. 2011;45:7670–7.
Pittauerová D, Hettwig B, Fischer HW. Fukushima fallout in Northwest German environmental media. J Environ Radioact. 2011;102:877–80.
Zähringer M, et al. From dose rate to websites: making measurements accessible, understandable and helpful to the lay public. Radiat Prot Dosim. 2014;160:322–5. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncu204.
Steinhauser G, Brandl A, Johnson TE. Comparison of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents: a review of the environmental impacts. Sci Total Environ. 2014;470-471:800–17.
SSK. Weiterentwicklung des Notfallschutzes durch Umsetzen der Erfahrungen aus Fukushima, Empfehlung der Strahlenschutzkommission. Bonn; 2015.
Walter H, et al. RODOS-based simulation of potential accident scenarios for emergency response management in the vicinity of nuclear power plants. BfS-SCHR-60/16. urn:nbn:de:0221-2016091214084, Salzgitter, September 2016.
UNSCEAR. UNSCEAR 2013 report, volume I. Report to the General Assembly, Scientific Annex A: levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the nuclear accident after the 2011 great east-Japan earthquake and tsunami. 2013. www.unscear.org/docs/reports/2013/13-85418_Report_2013_Annex_A.pdf.
UNSCEAR. Exposures and effects of the Chernobyl accident (Annex J). New York: United Nations; 2000.
Tanigawa K, Hosoi Y, Hirohashi N, Iwasaki Y, Kamiya K. Loss of life after evacuation: lessons learned from the Fukushima accident. Lancet. 2012;379:889–91.
Yasumura S. Evacuation effect on excess mortality among institutionalized elderly after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Fukushima J Med Sci. 2014;60:192.
UNSCEAR. 2016. http://www.unscear.org/docs/publications/2016/UNSCEAR_WP_2016.pdf.
Vandecasteele C et al. Translation of the emergency planning zone to an intervention zone: a multidisciplinary approach improving common understanding and implementation of protective actions EUROSAFE Forum Brussels, 5–6 November 2012. 2012.
OECD. Towards an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness and response: lessons learnt from non-nuclear events, OECD 2018, NEA No. 7308. 2018.
Safecast. 2018. https://blog.safecast.org/about/, version from 30.4.2018.
IAEA. Arrangements for the termination of a nuclear or radiological emergency, IAEA GSG-11, 2018. 2018.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zähringer, M., Gering, F. (2019). Nuclear Emergency Preparedness in Germany: Lessons Learned from Fukushima and Chernobyl and Their Implementation. In: Steinhauser, G., Koizumi, A., Shozugawa, K. (eds) Nuclear Emergencies. Current Topics in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8327-4_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8327-4_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-8326-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-8327-4
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)