Radiation mass casualties that occur in urban areas are likely to be partial-body exposures. Treatment based on whole-body dose assessments may not be appropriate for partial-body exposures, especially when local doses are high.

Actively proliferating systems such as bone marrow, the gastrointestinal tract and skin are among organs critically affected by radiation. The current concept for treating radiation injuries is to provide supportive care and available countermeasures to the critically exposed cohort. Treatment depends on knowledge of an individual’s injury due to the absorbed dose and dose distribution.

AFRRI’s May 5–6 Workshop will provide a forum for discussing diagnostic biomarkers, inter-laboratory comparisons, dose assessment approaches, as well as treatment strategies for partial-body radiation exposures. We will aim to develop a consensus on the best way forward to address the requirement for partial-body diagnostic biomarkers.

Workshop lectures will include oral and poster presentations. Topics will include potential scenarios of radiation mass casualties, biodosimetry emergency preparedness, emergency medical management, the need for diagnostic markers of partial-body exposures and dose assessment, dose assessment to critical organs impacting acute survival and development of statistical models for partial-body exposure assessment, and expert panel discussions.