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Protective Action Guides
Emergency Preparedness
and Response
Protective Action Guides (PAGs) help state and local authorities make radiation protection decisions during emergencies. EPA developed the PAG Manual to provide guidance on actions to protect the public.
Get e-mail updates when this information changes.
On this page:
- When and how would PAGs be used?
- Is training in the use of PAGs available?
- How can I obtain a copy of the PAGs?
- What is changing in the proposed PAG Manual revision?
- When is the revision going to be published?
When and how would PAGs be used?
Responders can use the PAG Manual in any radiation emergency:
|
|
PAGs apply throughout all three phases of a nuclear incident:
- Early Phase, or emergency phase, lasting hours to days
- Intermediate Phase, lasting weeks to months
- Late or Recovery Phase, lasting months to years
The following table shows various protective actions and how emergency personnel apply them during each phase of a nuclear emergency.
| Incident Phase | Exposure Pathway | Protective Action |
|---|---|---|
| early phase | External radiation from facility |
|
 |
External radiation from plume |
|
| overlap of early & inter- mediate phases |
Inhalation of activity in plume |
|
|
Contamination of skin and clothes |
|
| External radiation from ground deposition of radioactivity |
|
|
| overlap of inter mediate & late phases |
Ingestion of contaminated food and water |
|
 |
Inhalation of re-suspended radioactivity |
|
Notes:
- Stored animal feed and uncontaminated water could be used to protect domestic animals in the food chain from consuming radioactivity. This can be done in any of the phases.
- Evacuation occurs in the early, or emergency, phase of a nuclear incident and relocation occurs during the intermediate phase and may continue into the late, or recovery, phase.
Is training in use of the PAGs available?
Yes. FEMA's Emergency Management Institute has two Independent Study Courses on Radiation:
IS-3
Radiological Emergency Management
IS-301
Radiological Emergency Response, of which Unit 5, "Protective Actions & Protective Action Guides" provides an excellent introduction to the use of PAGs in an emergency.
PAGs Workshop PowerPoint Presentation
This presentation was designed by a team of state and federal partners in an effort to spread the word about how the Protective Action Guides (PAGs) work and how the soon-to-be issued draft revision improves the existing 1992 guidance. It is an 80-slide PowerPoint presentation, with extensive 'scripts' in the speaker notes for each slide, so that it could be presented by practically anyone. This was presented at four-hour workshops at the NREP conference in April and the CRCPD conference in May, and you may use it for your own information or to share with other federal, state, local, or tribal emergency preparedness partners.
How can I obtain a copy of the PAGs?
While we no longer have hard copies of the PAGs for distribution, an electronic version in PDF format is available:
Manual
of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions
for Nuclear Incidents (PDF) [about pdf format] [EPA 400-R-92-001]
for downloading or viewing.
(Please note: This document is not currently accessible for those using screen readers. If you need assistance accessing its contents, please Contact Us. An updated and fully accessible version will be available next year.)
What is changing in the proposed PAG Manual revision?
The draft revision of the PAG Manual will provide several key updates and additions to the existing guidance:
- It clarifies the use of the existing 1992 protective action guides and protective actions for incidents other than nuclear power plant accidents.
- It lowers the projected thyroid dose for administration of stable iodine based on data from the Chernobyl accident.
- It provides new guidance concerning consumption of drinking water during or after a radiological emergency.
- It also updates the dosimetry basis from ICRP 26 to ICRP 60 for all tables of derived levels.
- Finally, the draft revision includes new guidance for dealing with long-term site restoration following a major radiological release, based on Department of Homeland Security guidance on implementing PAGs after a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or improvised nuclear device (IND), which was developed by a multi-agency working group that included EPA. The guidance acknowledges that for the broad range of potential impacts from radiation incidents, no single numeric cleanup level can be recommended. Instead, it provides a framework to follow to ensure key stakeholders are involved in a cleanup decision-making process that carefully weighs all relevant factors.
When is the revision going to be published?
Key activities are underway to complete the draft revision so it can be published for public comment in the Federal Register:
- October 2006:Multi-agency review of incomplete draft revision by PAGs Subcommittee of the Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee
- February 2007:The new Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC)-calculated tables and associated language be added to the draft revision
- March 2007: Multi-agency review of full document by PAGs Subcommittee
- April 2007:4-hour PAGs workshop at National REP Conference
- May 2007: 4-hour PAGs workshop at CRCPD Conference
- September 2007: Final draft of the proposed PAGs Manual revision complete
- December 2007: Start of Final Federal Agencies/Departments Review
- 2008: Issue revised PAG Manual for public comment in Federal Register.
