Society News Archive

In response to requests, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a free online training program of five modules to better equip poison center (PC) staff to serve the public during radiological emergencies.

The mission of the CDC is to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the United States. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, the CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens in doing the same.

As part of this mission, the CDC works with PC professionals who receive calls from the public asking for information or guidance about exposure to a wide array of harmful substances. Radiation-related calls are not as frequent, so specialists have fewer opportunities to exercise and maintain their knowledge. PC professionals may benefit from training that enables them to better discuss topics like ionizing radiation exposure, radiological contamination issues, and medical countermeasures for radiation-related illness.

The CDC radiation training program is free and consists of self-led modules that offer user-friendly language, audio and video presentations, charts, and other graphics. CEU, CME, CPE, and CNE continuing education units are available upon successful completion.

This training may also be of interest to other public health professionals. For questions, contact HSBradtraining@cdc.gov. To access the training, go to the radiation training page of the CDC website.