Protective Action Guides

What are PAGs?

EPA developed PAGs (Protective Action Guides) to help state and local authorities make radiation protection decisions during emergencies. The PAGs provide guidance that is keyed to potential conditions during an emergency. When an emergency occurs, first responders can use the key to quickly locate the protective action guidance that matches existing conditions.

When and how would PAGs be used?

Responders can use PAGs in a radiation emergency in any situation in which radioactive materials are present:

nuclear power plants Department of Energy or Defense facilities foreign reactors research facilities

contaminated materials at steel mills or scrap metal recycling facilities transportation of radioactive materials

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 Sheltering Evacuation Control of access   External radiation from plume Sheltering Evacuation Control of access overlap of early & inter- mediate phases Inhalation of activity in plume Sheltering Administration of stable iodine Evacuation Control of access   Contamination of skin and clothes Sheltering Evacuation Decontamination of persons External radiation from ground deposition of radioactivity Evacuation Relocation Decontamination of land and property overlap inter mediate & late phases Ingestion of contaminated food and water Food and water controls Inhalation of re-suspended radioactivity Relocation Decontamination of land and property

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. 

Where to find training

FEMA's Emergency Management Institute has 2 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.

Obtaining 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 two ways:

1. Manual of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions for Nuclear Incidents [EPA 400-R-92-001] [about pdf format]
   for downloading or viewing page by page (best for those using dial up modems)
   
2. Manual of Protective Action Guides and Protective Actions for Nuclear Incidents [EPA 400-R-92-001] (14,915 Kb )[about pdf format]
   for downloading or viewing entire document

(Please note that this document is not currently accessible for those using screen readers. We are making it available to general audience while we explore the best way to make it accessible to these readers. If you need assistance accessing its contents, please Contact Us.An updated and fully accessible version will be available later this year.)

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