The context of armed conflict situations presents unique challenges that can compromise the safety and well-being of both affected populations and responders in radiological and nuclear emergencies. The focus of the EU project RRADEW 'Resilience to RADiological Events in Wartime'(2024-2027) is to enhance nuclear Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (EPR&R) systems by strengthening resilience to potential incidents in the context of war or armed conflict. The project is structured in five work packages focusing on the development of war scenarios (WP1), identification of resilience dimensions and indicators (WP2 and 3), development of decision-support, training materials and recommendations targeting key stakeholders (WP4), and key ethical questions for radiological protection in the context of armed conflicts (WP5). Since its start in 2024 the project has built a war-risk scenario matrix for nuclear facilities, produced a resilience framework that links the Sendai-definition of resilience to radiation emergencies, integrating social, technical and organisational dimensions across the EPR&R system, drafted training modules for deminers and first-responder monitors and produced an ethical matrix highlighting dilemmas such as dignity, autonomy and justice in armed-conflict radiological events. Together, these efforts aim to provide actionable frameworks and recommendations to ensure the safety and well-being of both affected populations and responders in wartime radiological incidents.

An anonymous web-based survey was developed to check different aspects (SHAMISEN SINGS project): stakeholder awareness and perceptions of available mobile applications (apps) for measuring ionising radiation doses and health/well-being indicators; whether they would be ready to use them in the post-accidental recovery; and what are their preferred methodologies to acquire information etc. The results show that participation of the citizens would be most beneficial during post-accident recovery, providing individual measurements of external ionizing dose and health/well-being parameters, with possible follow-up. Also, participants indicated different preferences for sources to gain knowledge on ionising radiation and for the functions that an ideal app should have. The level of awareness and readiness to use apps to measure ionising radiation dose depended on two main aspects: individual differences (age & gender) and whether people were from countries affected by the previous major accidents. We concluded that stakeholders could have benefits from the data management plan: (1) it potentiates resilience at individual and community level; (2) citizens' measurements contribute to environmental monitoring and public health screening; (3) linkages between different types of data (environmental exposure, individual behavioural diaries, and measurements of health indicators) allow to perform more rigorous epidemiological studies.

In September 2022, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) organised a workshop in Estoril, Portugal, on the 'Review and Revision of the System of Radiological Protection: A Focus on Research Priorities'. The workshop, which was a side event of the European Radiation Protection Week, offered an opportunity to comment on a recent paper published by ICRP on areas of research to support the System of Radiological Protection. Altogether, about 150 individuals participated in the workshop. After the workshop, 16 of the 30 organisations in formal relations with ICRP provided written feedback. All participants and organisations followed ICRP's view that further research in various areas will offer additional support in improving the System in the short, medium, and long term. In general, it was emphasised that any research should be outcome-focused in that it should improve protection of people or the environment. Many research topics mentioned by the participants were in line with those already identified by ICRP in the paper noted above. In addition, further ideas were expressed such as, for example, that lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic with regards to the non-radiological social, economic and environment impacts, should be analysed for their usefulness to enhance radiological protection, and that current protection strategies and application of current radiological protection principles may need to be adapted to military scenarios like those observed recently during the military conflict in the Ukraine or the detonation of a nuclear weapon. On a broader perspective, it was discussed how radiation research and radiological protection can contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals announced by the United Nations in 2015. This paper summarises the views expressed during the workshop and the major take home messages identified by ICRP.

NERIS as a European Platform on Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Response and Recovery (EPR&R) has developed a roadmap setting out the key research challenges for radiation emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Research projects in this field have been summarised to demonstrate how important areas of development have been identified and addressed. Radiation EPR&R has a continuous need to evolve to meet societal demands, but also to keep pace with scientific and technological developments and opportunities and so the NERIS research priorities as published in the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) are kept under review. Three challenge areas have been identified covering the topics of radiological impact assessment, protective action strategies and establishing a transdisciplinary and inclusive framework for emergency preparedness, response and recovery. The importance of these challenge areas and the underlying key topics for NERIS have been mapped across to the Joint Radiation Protection Roadmap developed by the consortium of European radiation research platforms known as MEENAS. The war in Ukraine triggered a new round of revision of the SRA that resulted in the identification of four topics as new or revised challenges for the NERIS community. These updated challenges are: (1) optimisation of management strategies for the transition and recovery phase, (2) uncertainty quantification, data assimilation and monitoring strategies, (3) inverse modelling, and (4) lessons identified from Ukraine and implications for emergency preparedness. These four areas will form the priority research areas for the NERIS community to help advance radiation emergency preparedness to meet current challenges and needs that have been identified.

Lessons from the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant accident emphasize the difficulties for restoring the socio-economic activities in the affected areas. Among them, a series of radioligical protection challenges were noted, in particular concerning the protection of employees, the securing of the production and the guarantee provided to consumers of the radiological monitoring of products to restore their confidence. Based on case studies reporting the experience of employers deploying their activities in affected areas, an analysis of these radiological protection challenges has been performed. Characterizing the radiological situation was not always straightforward for the managers. With the help of radiological protection experts, protective actions have been identified and specific efforts have been devoted to provide information to employees and their families helping them to make their own judgement about the radiological situation. Respecting the decisions of employees and developing a radiological protection culture among them have proved to be efficient for restoring the business activities. Continuing or restoring the production not always manageable. It requires to develop dedicated radiological monitoring processes to ensure the radiological protection of workers and the quality of the production. Re-establishing the link with the consumers and organising the vigilance on the long-term were necessary for companies to maintain their production or develop new ones. Deploying a socio-economic programme for ensuring the community resilience in affected areas requires the adoption of governance mechanisms respecting ethical values to ensure the overall objective of protecting people and the environment against the risks of ionizing radiation and contributing to provide decent living and working conditions to the affected communities. It is of primary importance to rely on the involvement of local communities in the elaboration and deployment of the socio-economic activities with due considerations for ensuring the integrity of the communities, and respecting their choices.

This paper explores how health concerns of populations living in contaminated areas following radiological accidents can be considered in developing health surveillance. The research was performed in the framework of the SHAMISEN project, and aimed at identifying the impacts on, and challenges associated with, living and social conditions of affected populations. These objectives were achieved through the analysis of specific Case Studies in different situations observed after the Chernobyl accident (Belarus and Norway) and the activities carried out after the Fukushima accident. It incorporates an analysis of testimonies of medical experts and local stakeholders from contaminated territories in Japan within two Case Studies as well as through a dedicated workshop jointly organised with Fukushima Medical University in Japan in March 2016. The analysis addresses the following topics: center dot Expectations and worries of the people regarding their health and welfare; center dot Role of the different stakeholders (health professionals, radiological protection professionals, local population, authorities, etc.) in improving living and social conditions in contaminated areas; center dot Contribution of the implemented protective actions to well-being and their direct benefits for populations; center dot Sustainability and continuity of the projects/actions; center dot Ethical considerations; center dot Stakeholder participation, dialogue, information and communication issues; center dot Education and training provision and need. Thus, this paper outlines key lessons learned from each of these topics, by providing tangibles examples from the analysis of the various Case Studies.

Experience suggests that current nuclear accident response planning in European countries mostly has a technical focus, with less attention paid to social, psychological and ethical issues. Information provided tends to be directed towards decisions made by experts, rather than for the support of affected populations. The SHAMISEN (Nuclear Emergency Situations - Improvement of Medical And Health Surveillance) consortium, composed of close to 50 experts from 10 countries, performed a critical review of current recommendations and experiences regarding dose assessment and reconstruction, evacuation decisions, long-term health surveillance programmes and epidemiological studies. The review included case studies and lessons drawn from the living conditions and health status of populations affected by the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, taking an integrative approach to health and well-being. Based on this work, SHAMISEN developed a series of comprehensive recommendations aimed at improving the preparedness, response, long-term surveillance and living conditions of populations affected by past or future radiation accidents, in a manner responding to their needs, while minimising unnecessary anxiety.

The European project CONFIDENCE identified, conceptualised and addressed social uncertainties through a multi-method research approach. The research highlighted the uncertainties faced by publics, emergency management actors and decision-makers in nuclear emergencies and during the recovery phase. It showed that nuclear emergency management is dominated by decisions under uncertainties, that non-experts face also different uncertainties than experts, that emergency plans need a (continuous) reality check and that sound communication, openness and transparency about uncertainties may contribute to better decisions. It also suggests that national emergency response and recovery policies should consider and support the capacity of local actors to deal with an emergency or post-accident situation, for instance by carrying out their own measurements. This way, social uncertainties can be addressed and in some situations reduced, and the communication improved.

Based on gathered viewpoints from Japanese stakeholders who face the consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster at the national and local levels, the modalities and conditions governing the decision of evacuees to return home after the lifting of evacuation orders, have been examined. This analysis revealed the complexity of the situation in a context of high uncertainty, and also emphasized the need for decision-makers and decision-helpers ( e.g. radiological protection and medical experts) to take account and respect the different choices made or envisaged by the impacted communities for whom radiological issues are only one facet of the problem. The analysis firstly deals with the dynamics of the emergency evacuation which has strongly influenced the issue of managing the return of populations. Social and especially family dimensions are also emphasized, particularly related to the organization of temporary housing. Then, the organization and the evolution of the characterization and zoning of the affected areas are discussed as well as the radiological criteria that have been used and how they have been perceived by people. Notably, the effects on health and welfare are emphasized, by analysing in particular the temporal dynamics since the accident. The difficulties encountered by evacuees and returnees and the specific situations of the various communities are also highlighted. The question of the development of a radiological protection culture through self-monitoring and protective actions and its long-term role is also discussed. Another key element concerns the effects of the compensation system: without going into details on the mechanisms put in place, the social and ethical questions raised by this system are presented. Finally, the question of “the future of the affected territories” is evoked by stressing the concerns of several municipalities for restoring their attractiveness for possible newcomers.

This article discusses stakeholder engagement in the field of nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness, response, and recovery (EPR & R). It argues that stakeholder engagement in this field could be broadened – in terms of stakeholders and forms of engagement, and strengthened – in terms of sustainability and impact. Four different dimensions are identified and presented along which this process of broadening and strengthening can occur: (1) the underlying rationales of engagement, (2) top-down and bottom-up engagement, (3) formal and informal engagement, and (4) radiological protection culture. Based on the analysis of these dimensions, a reflection on power and non-participation is provided, and recommendations on stakeholder engagement are formulated.

Background/Aim: One of the lessons learned from nuclear accidents is the need to increase stakeholder engagement in accident preparedness and response, including data collection by citizens (and citizen scientists). In particular, the use of personal dosimeters, including sensors connected to mobile phones, was widely used after the Fukushima accident, leading to the collection and sharing of many ambient radioactivity measurements, dedicated web-platforms for exchanging questions and advice, as well as attempts to initiate participative epidemiological studies. Methods: The SHAMISEN-SINGS European project combined 3 approaches: 1) review and testing of existing mobile apps for dose measurements; 2) review of relevant mobile apps on health & welfare that could be used after a nuclear accident, and 3) on-line anonymous survey & group discussions on awareness, experiences and willingness to use mobile apps for dose and health monitoring.Results: A Tool-kit for using apps for dose measurements has been developed, summarised in infographics for the general public, and described together with recommendations on developing and use of mobile apps for health monitoring in a booklet. A brief cost-benefit analysis based on data collected by citizens was performed to complement those existing from official sources. A data management plan was proposed, in which data from the apps can be used with benefits at the individual and societal level. Ethical issues related to apps development, data collection and sharing were explored. Conclusions: The Recommendations and Tool-kits for use and development of mobile apps for dose and health monitoring after a nuclear accident, as developed by the SHAMISEN SINGS project, are directed toward the general public, apps developers and relevant professional stakeholders. If implemented in collaboration with stakeholders and citizen scientists, they should provide individual and societal benefits, and may contribute to national and regional monitoring networks for radiation and health surveillance programs in post-accidental situations.

Under the framework of the CONFIDENCE project, work package 4 was focusing on the transition to long-term recovery, involving stakeholders in decision-making processes. The essential research was performed using a participatory approach, which combined scenario-based stakeholder discussion panels and transnational stakeholder surveys following the Delphi methodology. The objective was to identify and address the issues and uncertainties arising in the preparedness and management of the transition phase and to explore ways to facilitate the incorporation of stakeholders' expertise, points of view and interests in the decision-making processes. The final goal was to build best practices for planning optimal remediation strategies during the transition phase considering stakeholder involvement in the decision-making process. The results obtained from the work undertaken in nine European countries are presented.

An emergency situation is subject to multiple sources of uncertainties which should be identified in advance in order to improve the emergency and recovery management, and so optimally foster the living conditions of the population and the quality of their environment. In this context, the Work Package 4 of the European Research Project CONFIDENCE aimed at identifying and reducing uncertainties which could emerge in decision-making processes, in order to improve the preparedness and response after a nuclear accident. To that end, stakeholder panels have been set up in several European countries to collect their views and concerns regarding the decisions to be taken in the event of a nuclear crisis (e.g. evacuation, food restrictions, etc.). More particularly, the implementation of these panels allowed the researchers to (i) identify the main uncertainties that may hamper decision-making processes and to (ii) evaluate the influence of prior decisions made during the emergency phase over the medium to long-term evolution of the situation. Based on these discussions, the various types of uncertainties raised by the national panels have been analysed in order to suggest recommendations to better consider them and to improve the decision-making processes. This paper aims to detail the recommendations resulting from the panels discussions.

Feedback analyses from Chernobyl and Fukushima post-accident situations have clearly emphasized the importance of management strategies for contaminated goods during the days, months and years after the accident. For instance, following the accident, the management of contaminated goods generally focuses on the implementation of protective actions, radiological countermeasures and the control of radioactivity in foodstuffs, in order to ensure the quality and sales of the food products. Then, issues concerning the loss of image of local products can appear, and subsequent strategies have to be taken to restore the consumer confidence. Based on a literature review and interviews performed between 2016 and 2018 with Japanese stakeholders involved in the Fukushima accident recovery, this paper analyses the strategies for the management of contaminated goods which have been implemented in Japan. Divided into three main parts, this paper highlights how producers/livestock breeders, agricultural cooperatives, consumers and even distributors gradually committed themselves to (i) ensure the radiological quality of products by implementing countermeasures and monitoring systems, (ii) maintain sustainable economic activity by encouraging the resumption of agricultural activities and by deploying various sales strategies and try to (iii) restore consumer confidence by initiating producer/consumer dialogues and promotional actions for local products.

A case study was conducted in the village of Komarin in Belarus at the edge of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, with the aim of evaluating the spatial and temporal variability in external and internal post-accidental radiation exposure. A database containing the radioactive measurements of foodstuffs made in Komarin over a 1990–2016 period makes it possible to estimate retrospectively the internal exposure. External exposure was prospectively studied through a citizen science approach involving a group of high school students and used two radioactive monitoring approaches, the D-shuttle© dosimeter and the OpenRadiation® system. Results showed that contamination level in food products varied over 2 to 4 orders of magnitude, underlining the usefulness of continuous monitoring of locally produced foodstuffs even more than 30 years after the Chernobyl accident. The study of external exposures showed that the current dose rates were similar to those usually observed elsewhere in the world, without any notable variations. More detailed analysis of these results will be conducted in future studies. This paper focuses on the methods used for the acquisition of data about both external exposure and foodstuff contamination and how it resulted in the strong involvement of high school students which in turn triggered a renewed interest in the practical radiological protection culture within the population of the village.

The European ALARA Network regularly organises workshops on topical issues in radiation protection. In light of the Fukushima accident, the most recent workshop questioned the application of the ALARA principle in emergency exposure situations. This memorandum presents the conclusions and recommendations of this workshop. One of the outcomes is that the process of optimisation in emergency exposure situations should be flexible enough to be able to modify or refine decisions over the course of an accident. In the urgent phase, decisions must be made in a very time-constrained environment, based on scarce, uncertain and sometimes unreliable information. In this phase, optimisation and protection strategies are therefore developed and applied on the basis of conservative assumptions or 'reasonably foreseeable worst-case scenario' which could lead to an overestimation of the consequences. In the intermediate phase, knowledge of the situation improves, and more time is available to make the decision. This is reflected by adopting a less conservative approach, and transitioning to a more appropriate optimisation adapted as effectively as possible to the various exposure situations. When the situation is eventually stabilized (transition phase), there is time to shape the measures taken previously to reflect local conditions in the affected territories. In every phase, consideration should be given to the stakeholders, so that their needs and requirements can be incorporated as effectively as possible.