Indeed, many states may not have been giving nuclear disaster preparedness enough attention, according to a study released online today in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
The survey of state departments of health indicated that those with a nuclear power plant were better prepared for a major nuclear emergency, but most still weren't prepared enough.
The 2010 survey predated the Japanese triple threat of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant equipment malfunction.
It reviewed written radiation response plans for the majority of states, most of which detailed communications issues during an emergency.
But the medical side of planning fell short.
Fewer than half of the states surveyed had written plans for radiation exposure assessment, environmental sampling, human specimen collection and analysis, and human health assessment.
These are all critical aspects of protecting people from the harmful effects of a radiation disaster, study author Sharon M. Watkins, PhD, of the Florida Department of Health, explained to MedPage Today.
State budget crunches have probably contributed to the problem, since many states said they just didn't have enough resources for those capabilities, she noted.
Ahead of an actual emergency, there's little physicians and other individuals can do to prepare, Watkins noted.
Rather, the group recommended action at the federal and state level.
Federal "best practices" for collaborations to get better-prepared states to share their knowledge with less-prepared states would be a good idea, Watkins suggested, noting that every state carries some risk of a nuclear disaster whether a transport accident, nuclear medicine problems, or a "dirty bomb" attack.
But medical staff at hospitals near the Diablo Canyon and San Onofre plants in California told MedPage Today that they believe they are prepared for the most likely radiation-related scenarios in their communities.
Medical centers in the vicinity of nuclear plants typically have a close working relationship with the emergency preparedness teams at those facilities, hospital managers said.
Staff from California's San Onofre nuclear facility do annual physician training and supply assessment at nearby Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in San Clemente, according to James Lenthall, director of safety services at the hospital.
Given the hospital's location within a 10-mile radius of the San Onofre plant, the NRC also requires that it conduct larger drills every three years in which the hospital practices receiving multiple victims of radiation exposure, Lenthall said.
In general, however, most training focuses on exposed plant workers, rather than a large-scale public health disaster, according to Julia Fogelson, MD, director of the emergency department of French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, near the Diablo Canyon power plant.
Those workers would typically be decontaminated at the plant, although Fogelson said the hospital is prepared to prevent a radiated worker from posing a danger to other patients.
Like Lenthall, Fogelson emphasized that familiarity with the emergency managers at the nuclear facility is vital.
"We are all familiar with each other, and there's a comfort level and trust," she said. "There's a pretty well-oiled unit in place if anything were to happen."
(Copyright MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved) This article was developed in collaboration with ABC News.
