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Thursday
Jul022020

Could states allow high radiation levels before evacuating during a nuclear emergency in pandemic conditions?

Beyond Nuclear has decried the suppression of state assessments that could reveal plans to drastically raise the threshhold of radiation exposure before evacuating the public from a nuclear emergency under COVID-19 conditions. Beyond Nuclear pointed to a document from the state of Connecticut, (which was posted and then removed by the NRC, without explanation), indicating the state would wait to evacuate some people until radiation levels reached a staggering 100 rem, the point at which radiation sickness can begin. Beyond Nuclear demanded, in a press release, that NRC and FEMA make public the response from every state to FEMA's assessment of the viability of offsite radiological emergency plans for operating nuclear power stations during the COVID-19 pandemic. FEMA continues to insist the plans are "adequate" even though Connecticut stated that the social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic posed “a significant impediment to an orderly evacuation”. Read the full press release.