What is primarily minimized through effective emergency response plans in radiological events?

Effective emergency response plans in radiological events are primarily designed to minimize health risks and ensure the containment of radioactive materials. This focus on health risks is crucial because exposure to radiation can lead to significant immediate and long-term health effects for individuals in the affected area, including acute radiation syndrome, increased cancer risk, and other health complications.

Containment of radioactive materials is equally important. An effective response ensures that any release of radioactive substances is quickly controlled, preventing widespread contamination of the environment and mitigating hazards to public health and safety. This can involve measures such as evacuations, the establishment of exclusion zones, and the implementation of decontamination procedures.

While aspects such as public panic and misinformation, clean-up costs, and property value losses are certainly relevant to the overall impact of a radiological event, they are secondary outcomes that arise from how well health risks are managed and containment is achieved. Therefore, the primary goal of these emergency response plans is to protect human health and the environment from the dangerous effects of radiation exposure.