Radiological

A radiological hazard is the uncontrolled release of radioactive material that can harm people or damage the environment. Although great safety precautions are used and the risk is quite low, an accident could occur. Basic local planning is needed to mitigate and respond to potential incidents.

State-of-the-art radiological protection in emergency situations, such as provided by Anderson County Emergency Services, requires specific technical resources, qualified personnel and competence in a variety of scientific and technical areas.

There are four basic types of radiological hazards. One, though vastly diminished since the end of the cold war, is a nuclear attack using high power nuclear weapons. Another threat is a so called "dirty bomb" that has a low blast, but expels radioactive material in a near by region. There are also radiological hazards presented by nuclear medicine. The last basic hazard is a nuclear accident, at a nuclear power facility, or nuclear manufacturing/storage facility.