This Safety Report was jointly sponsored by the IAEA and WHO. It outlines the roles and tasks of health authorities and hospital administrators in emergency preparedness for radiological accidents and provides information relevant to the integration of medical preparedness into emergency plans.

Major radiation accidents cause widespread and common psychosocial problems independent of cultural, ethnic, political, and socioeconomic aspects of the location of the accident. As a doctor, nurse, or emergency room staff you are the first line of defense when these accidents happen. New developments over the past several years enable physicians to enhance survival and ease the discomfort of patients injured by radiation. The Medical Basis for Radiation-Accident Preparedness: The Clinical Care of Victims presents the current state-of-the-art in radiation medicine and focuses on the practical issues of importance to the clinicians and nurses who have responsibility for diagnosing, treating, and caring for the radiation-accident patient. Topics range from dose assessment to socioeconomic considerations, with extensive analyses of treatment options for exposure to different parts of the body. As a special feature, the work supplies case histories of six recent significant radiological accidents and also includes bibliographic references and index. You don't know when you may be involved in treating radiation-accident patients. In today's uncertain world, it could happen at any time. Drawing on the expertise of a wide variety of contributors, both within and outside of the field of radiation management, The Medical Basis for Radiation-Accident Preparedness: The Clinical Care of Victims provides further insight into the complex care and teamwork needed in the management of the acutely injured patient.

This publication provides a practical resource for emergency planning, and fulfils, in part, functions assigned to the IAEA in the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency. If used effectively, it will help users to develop a capability to adequately respond to a nuclear or radiological emergency.

This text from the British Institute of Radiology provides an international standard for the evaluation of radiation-induced health impairments, which should make a useful contribution to the harmonization and standardization of the Medical Management of Radiation Accidents.

This publication focuses on the medical management of individuals involved in radiation emergencies, especially those who have been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation. Its primary objective is to provide practical information, to be used for treatment decisions by medical personnel during a radiation emergency. It also addresses general and specific measures for the medical management of individuals who have been internally contaminated with radionuclides. This publication is complementary to other publications developed by the IAEA in the medical area of radiation emergencies.

The radiological accident described in this report took place in Lilo, Georgia, when sealed radiation sources were abandoned by a previous owner at a site without following established regulatory safety procedures. As a consequence, 11 individuals at the site were exposed for a long period of time to high doses of radiation which resulted inter alia in severe radiation induced skin injuries. The present report, which is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization, provides information on the medical management of radiation induced skin injuries as well as a comprehensive report on the circumstances and details of the accident and the lessons to be learned.