Emergency preparedness: Ionising radiation incidents and medical management

Abstract

Military personnel risk being exposed to ionising radiation through a variety of means, including industrial accidents with Ministry of Defence equipment, inadvertent exposure while on operations, terrorist activities and nuclear war. The aim of this review is to outline the possible acute health effects and immediate management of radiation casualties in the context of different exposure scenarios. It emphasises the most important principles for managing irradiated, and/or contaminated casualties, in the operational environment, as well as providing details of key references and other sources of reach-back support.