Subcommittee on Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions (SCAPA )
The Subcommittee on Consequence Assessment and Protective Actions (SCAPA) provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) / National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors with technical information and recommendations for emergency preparedness to assist in safeguarding the health and safety of workers and the public. SCAPA deals with both radiological and nonradiological materials. SCAPA working groups are providing guidance to DOE/NNSA and contractors on:
- Protective Action Criteria (PAC) for chemical releases. The PAC provides chemical exposure limit values for well over 3,000 chemicals to support emergency response planning applications. A key component of the PACs are the Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits (TEELs) developed by the Chemical Exposures Working Group;
- Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) provides emergency exposure guidelines for chemical mixtures. The CMM is a product of the Chemical Mixtures Working Group;
- Development of source terms (i.e., radiological, chemical, biological) for emergency preparedness applications including information on the size spectra distribution for solid releases;
- Consequence assessment modeling with an emphasis on the dispersion and deposition of contaminants. A key component involves software quality assurance guidelines that are being developed under the auspices of the Consequence Assessment Modeling Working Group;
- Approaches and techniques for assessing the potential consequences of biological and nanotechnology releases and taking appropriate protective actions;
- Protective actions that can reduce potential impacts to workers and the public; and
- New technologies that may be deployed to improve emergency preparedness.
One aspect of SCAPA’s mission is to promote consistency in emergency preparedness and emergency response to releases of hazardous materials throughout the DOE/NNSA system. To accomplish this, SCAPA provides a forum for information sharing. SCAPA actively works with other governmental agencies and industry with the intent of promoting coordination between agencies.
