Actions set in train shortly after the accidents at Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima Daiichi (2011) had the aim of reducing the more immediate health effects on people living near the plants, with population relocation being especially prominent. The important topic of relocation is the subject of a companion paper, and this article will concentrate on other measures, such as soil treatment and urban decontamination, that have been put in place to reduce the radiation risks in the medium and long term to people living and farming in areas subject to some degree of radioactive contamination. The J-value method of risk assessment has been used to judge the cost-effectiveness of a range of agricultural and urban remediation actions. Many remedial measures instituted after the Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi accidents have been found to be highly cost-effective. (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers.