Environmental sensitivity in nuclear emergencies in rural and semi-natural environment

Describes the work and activities of the IAEA model test and comparison programme entitled Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS II). The EMRAS II programme emphasized the comparison, testing and improvement of environmental transfer models for assessing exposures to the public and non-human species.

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Environmental assessment models are used for evaluating the radiological impact of actual and potential releases of radionuclides to the environment. They are essential tools for use in the regulatory control of routine discharges to the environment and also in planning measures to be taken in the event of accidental releases. They are also used for predicting the impact of releases which may occur far into the future, for example, from underground radioactive waste repositories. It is important to verify, to the extent possible, the reliability of the predictions of such models by comparison with measured values in the environment or by comparing them with the predictions of other models.