TNAG-1776-FCO40-2530-Daya-Bay-nuclear-power-station-project-safety-concerns-in-Ho-1988 — Page 199

12.8 Medical and Health Department

The health impact from a release of radioactivity affecting Hong Kong is essentially a matter for the Hong Kong Government who will need to consult with professional medical staff. The responsibility for assessing any potential health detriment must rest primarily with the Medical and Health Department.

Designated professional members of the Medical and Health Department must be in a position to provide advice and reassurance to members of the public if required. Consideration should be given to the need for any special training for health professionals.

While the Monitoring and Assessment Centre will be responsible for providing an overall assessment of the situation, the Medical and Health Department will be responsible for providing advice based on this assessment. The Medical and Health Department should appoint the Radiological Adviser to the Civil Control Centre, and should also appoint the Chairman of the Radiological Protection Advisory Group, (see Section 12.18).

Apart from the remote possibility of sheltering being implemented, the precautions which can be taken by the public following a major accident which affects Hong Kong are standard ones normally associated with hygiene. All food should be thoroughly washed, and people should wash after being out of doors at the time of passage of the plume. The latter precaution is particularly applicable to children after they have been playing outside. Preparation of a leaflet for advice to the public in the event of any emergency may be useful. Such leaflets could be held by primary health care staff.

While widespread monitoring of members of the public for contamination is not envisaged, it would be prudent to identify Hospital Physics staff who could help carry out monitoring for small numbers of people. Such monitoring could be required, for example, for people returning to Hong Kong who had been close to Daya Bay at the time of any major incident. Consideration should be given to identify suitable locations where this monitoring, and if necessary decontamination, could be carried out.

Hospital Physics Staff could also supplement the district monitoring teams provided by the Royal Observatory if

necessary.

12.9 The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force

The RHKAAF can provide helicopter transport at short notice in the event of an emergency. In the initial stages this transport could be required to get key staff to the emergency centres.

Helicopters could be used to measure levels of ground deposition in the intermediate and recovery phases to build up a general picture of the distribution of contamination throughout Hong Kong (see Chapter 8).

It is not envisaged that helicopters will be used to monitor the actual plume. If, however, helicopters were to be used for this purpose, or indeed if it were necessary to fly through a significant plume for any reason, consideration must be given to providing protective clothing, respiratory protection and suitable dosimeters for the crew and any passengers. Flying through a significant plume will undoubtedly lead to contamination of the aircraft. A decision to fly a helicopter through a radioactive plume can only be justifiable if the service provided by that flight is essential. The use of helicopters after the plume has passed is unlikely to lead to any additional risk to the crew and passengers and it is therefore unlikely that respirators, etc., will be required.

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