Radiation Emergencies

First responders training for radiation emergencies. Photo courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office

Since the discovery of radioactive materials, scientists and engineers have developed a variety of uses for them, including medical treatments, testing equipment used by the construction industry, and in smoke detectors. The wide use and manufacture of radioactive materials increases the risk of accidental harm, including lost or damaged equipment or improperly disposed of containers or waste.

The availability of radioactive materials also increases the risk of intentional harm, such as using radioactive materials to contaminate our food or water supplies, using explosives to scatter radioactive materials (called a "dirty bomb"), causing damage to Minnesota's two nuclear power plants, or exploding a small nuclear device.

For more information about radiation emergencies, see:

Radiation Emergencies - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/

Radiation Protection - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/

For more information about radiation, see:

Radiation Control
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/radiation

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For more information on this page, please refer to the Emergencies Contact Us Web page.