There are four emergency planning zones and distances:
- In the precautionary action zone (PAZ) precautionary urgent protective action is taken before or shortly after a release of radioactive material begins to reduce substantially the risk of severe health effects.
- In the urgent protective action planning zone (UPZ) urgent protective action is taken promptly to avert radiation doses off the site. The goal is to initiate protective actions and other response actions before or shortly after the start of a release warranting protective actions off the site in such a way as not to delay the implementation of the urgent protective actions and other response actions within the PAZ. In addition, provisions are made within this zone for the protection of personnel staffing special facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and prisons that cannot be immediately evacuated.
- In the extended planning distance (EPD) instructions are provided to reduce inadvertent ingestion of radioactive material and measurements are made of radioactive deposition to locate hotspots following a release which could require evacuation within a day and relocation within a week to a month. Patients and those requiring specialized care are to be evacuated to locations outside of the EPD to ensure that further evacuations would not be required after a release.
- Within the ingestion and commodities planning distance (ICPD), grazing animals are placed on protected (e.g. covered) feed; drinking water supplies that directly use rainwater are protected (e.g. to disconnect rainwater collection pipes); the consumption of non-essential local produce, wild-grown products (e.g. mushrooms and game), milk from grazing animals, rainwater and animal feed, is restricted; and the distribution of commodities is stopped until further assessments are performed. Also, samples of local produce, wild-grown products, milk from grazing animals, rainwater, animal feed and commodities are collected and analysed during the emergency to confirm the adequacy of controls.
