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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.
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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 1992 PAGs?
- What is the status of the PAG Manual update?
- Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation
When and how would PAGs be used?
The PAGs suggest precautions that state and local authorities can take to keep people from receiving an amount of radiation that might be dangerous to their health during emergency. The PAGs provide guidance only.
Responders can use the PAG Manual in any radiation emergency:
|
|
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 | External radiation from facility |
|
| early | External radiation from plume |
|
| overlap of early & inter- mediate phases |
Inhalation of activity in plume |
|
intermediate |
Contamination of skin and clothes |
|
| External radiation from ground deposition of radioactivity |
|
|
| overlap of inter mediate & late phases |
Ingestion of contaminated food and water |
|
| late | 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.
How can I obtain a copy of the 1992 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.)
What is the status of the PAG Manual update?
The PAG Manual is an important science-based guideline that addresses emergency action levels for radiation exposure. Draft revisions were approved by the Deputy Administrator shortly before the inauguration. The new team at EPA wishes to review the PAGs revisions before proceeding with a notice of availability and public comment.
Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation
What is the "Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation"?
The White House developed this guidance specifically for application for nuclear detonations. This guidance is the first Federal guidance focusing on areas of severe damage and high radiation. It provides the basis to help state and local planners develop state and local plans by tailoring this guidance to their specific circumstances or to compare differing inputs and assumptions. It serves to facilitate coordination between state and local planners and the Federal government.
How is the “Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation” to be used?
The planning guidance may be reviewed and referenced by local and state emergency response planners. It is complementary to ongoing national preparedness activities, and will help to increase local and state emergency response planners’ knowledge of the expected effects and impacts of a nuclear detonation.
Will this new planning guidance for nuclear detonations be incorporated into EPA's PAGs Manual?
The White House nuclear detonation guidance will not be incorporated into EPA’s PAGs Manual.
- The nuclear detonation guidance focuses on those areas where there is a severely compromised infrastructure and where the levels of radiation could cause acute health effects.
- The nuclear detonation guidance is aimed at the first few days when it is likely that many Federal resources will still be en route to the incident.
- The EPA PAGs Manual can be applied outside the areas and timeframes covered in the nuclear detonation guidance.
Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation (97pp, 690Kb) [about pdf format]
