Advising the public to go and stay indoors, close windows and doors and switch off ventilation that draws in outside air. Buildings cut external dose from the plume and from deposited material and reduce inhalation, with large masonry buildings giving far more protection than light wooden houses. Sheltering is suited to short releases of up to a day or two; for longer releases evacuation usually becomes the better choice.
Recommend sheltering for sectors C and D out to five miles, evacuation is slower than the plume there.
Also heard as
- shelter in place
- sheltering in place
Related terms
EPZ
Emergency planning zone: the area around a nuclear plant where protective actions are pre-planned.
Plume
The cloud of radioactive gases and particles carried downwind from a release.
KI
Potassium iodide: stable iodine tablets taken to block the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine.
Emergency classification
The graded levels used to declare a nuclear plant emergency, each triggering a defined response.