Radiological protective measures in highly industrialized areas: do the existing intervention levels apply?

Several international organizations have provided numerical guidance on the intervention levels for protective measures in case of a nuclear accident. The resulting intervention levels, however, are generic in nature and allow for (and even require) adjustment to site-specific conditions. As interventions in highly industrialized areas may result in important economic losses and potential secondary risks for the workers and the environment, we argue that the appropriate intervention levels for evacuating or relocating people from these areas might be higher than those generically derived. Furthermore, the optimal duration of these interventions will in general be shorter when imposed on industrial areas. The same results apply for sheltering, in case it requires a shut-down of the industrial production processes.