Abstracts ASN Report 2019

The principles underlying the accounting rules are as follows: ҄ radionuclides for which the measured activity exceeds the decision threshold for the measurement technique are all counted; ҄ the radionuclides of the “reference spectrum” for which the measured activity is below the decision threshold (see box opposite) are considered to be at the decision threshold level. łŅ ķļņĶĻĴŅĺĸņ łĹ ĶĻĸŀļĶĴĿ ņňĵņŇĴŁĶĸņ ŊļŇĻ ĴŁ ĸŀļņņļłŁ ĿļŀļŇ value set by an ASN requirement, when the concentration values measured are below the quantification limit, the licensee is required by convention to declare a value equal to half the quantification limit concerned. • xȒȇǣɎȒȸǣȇǕ ƳǣɀƬǝƏȸǕƺɀ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ȅƺƳǣƬƏǼ ɀƺƬɎȒȸ ňŅņňĴŁŇ Ňł ŅĸņłĿňŇļłŁ ӅӃӃӋі іӃӃӌӈׇłĹ Ӆӌׇ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӃӋё radioactivity measurements are taken on the effluents coming from the places that produce them. In hospitals that have a nuclear medicine department, these measurements chiefly concern ļłķļŁĸіӄӆӄׇĴŁķ ŇĸĶĻŁĸŇļňŀіӌӌŀє Ł ʼnļĸŊ łĹ ŇĻĸ ķļĹĹļĶňĿŇļĸņ encountered in putting in place the permits to discharge radionuclides into the public sewage networks, as provided for by the Public Health Code, ASN has created a working group involving administrations, “producers” (nuclear physicians, researchers) and sanitation professionals. The report from this working group formulating recommendations to improve the ĸĹĹļĶļĸŁĶŌ łĹ ŇĻĸ ŅĸĺňĿĴŇļłŁņ ŊĴņ ŃŅĸņĸŁŇĸķ ļŁ ĶŇłĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӉׇŇł the Advisory Committee for Radiation Protection (GPRADE), for industrial and research applications of ionising radiation and the ĸŁʼnļŅłŁŀĸŁŇє ĶłŁņňĿŇĸķ ŇĻĸ ņŇĴľĸĻłĿķĸŅņ ļŁ ӅӃӄӊׇłŁ ŇĻļņ subject. The report from the working group and a circular letter intended for the professionals concerned were published on the ŊĸĵņļŇĸ łŁ ӄӇׇ ňŁĸ ӅӃӄӌє In the small-scale industrial nuclear sector, few plants discharge ĸĹĹĿňĸŁŇņ ĴŃĴŅŇ ĹŅłŀ ĶŌĶĿłŇŅłŁņ Ҏņĸĸ ĶĻĴŃŇĸŅ Ӌҏє Ļĸ ķļņĶĻĴŅĺĸ permits stipulate requirements for the discharges and their monitoring, which are subject to particular scrutiny during inspections. ג ِ׏ِ א 0ɮƏǼɖƏɎǣȇǕ Ɏǝƺ ȸƏƳǣȒǼȒǕǣƬƏǼ ǣȅȵƏƬɎ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎǣƺɀ In accordance with the optimisation principle, the licensee must reduce the radiological impact of its facility to values that are as low as possible under economically acceptable conditions. The licensee is required to assess the dosimetric impact of its activity. As applicable, this obligation is the result of Article єׇӄӆӆӆіӋׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ňĵĿļĶ ĸĴĿŇĻ łķĸё łŅ ŇĻĸ ŅĸĺňĿĴŇļłŁņ ĶłŁĶĸŅŁļŁĺ ķļņĶĻĴŅĺĸņ Ҏ ŅŇļĶĿĸ ӈєӆєӅׇłĹ ŅĸņłĿňŇļłŁ ӅӃӄӆі іӃӆӉӃׇłĹ ӄӉׇ ňĿŌ ӅӃӄӆׇĶłŁĶĸŅŁļŁĺ ĶłŁŇŅłĿ łĹ ķĸŇŅļŀĸŁŇĴĿ ĸĹĹĸĶŇņ ĴŁķ ŇĻĸ impact of BNIs on health and the environment). The result must ĵĸ ĶłŀŃĴŅĸķ ŊļŇĻ ŇĻĸ ĴŁŁňĴĿ ķłņĸ ĿļŀļŇ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ŃňĵĿļĶ Ҏӄׇŀ ʼnѼŌĸĴŅҏ ķĸĹļŁĸķ ļŁ ŅŇļĶĿĸ єׇӄӆӆӆіӄӄׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ňĵĿļĶ ĸĴĿŇĻ łķĸє Ļļņ regulation limit corresponds to the sum of the effective doses received by the public as a result of nuclear activities. The doses received must remain below this limit. In practice, only traces of artificial radioactivity are detectable in the vicinity of the nuclear facilities; most measurements taken during routine surveillance are below the decision threshold or reflect the natural radioactivity. As these measurements cannot be used for dose estimations, models for the transfer of radioactivity to humans must be used, on the basis of measurements of discharges from the installation. These models are specific to each licensee and are detailed in the facility’s impact assessment. During its assessment, ASN devotes efforts to verifying that these models are conservative, in order to ensure that the impact assessments are not underestimated. In addition to the impact assessments produced on the basis of discharges from the facilities, the licensees are required to carry out environmental radioactivity monitoring programmes (water, air, earth, milk, grass, agricultural produce, etc.), more specifically to verify compliance with the hypotheses used in the impact assessment and to monitor changes in the radioactivity level in the various compartments of the environment around the facilities (see point 4.1.1). The doses from BNIs for a given year are estimated on the basis of the actual discharges from each installation accounted for the year in question. This assessment takes account of discharges from the identified outlets (stack, river or sea discharge pipe), the diffuse emissions not channelled to the outlets (for example tank vent) and the sources of radiological exposure to ionising radiation present in the installation. The estimate is made in relation to one or more identified reference groups. These are uniform groups of people (adults, infants, children) receiving the highest average dose out of the entire population exposed to a given installation, following realistic scenarios (taking into account the distance from the site, meteorological data, etc.). All of these parameters, specific to each site, explain most of the differences observed between sites and from one year to another. The Table entitled “Radiological impact of BNIs since 2012” ļŁ ĶĻĴŃŇĸŅ ӄׇŃŅĸņĸŁŇņ ĴŁ ĴņņĸņņŀĸŁŇ łĹ ŇĻĸ ķłņĸņ ķňĸ Ňł ņ calculated by the licensees for the most exposed reference groups. łŅ ĸĴĶĻ łĹ ŇĻĸ ŁňĶĿĸĴŅ ņļŇĸņ ŃŅĸņĸŁŇĸķё ŇĻĸ ŅĴķļłĿłĺļĶĴĿ ļŀŃĴĶŇ remains far below, or at most represents about 1% of the limit ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ŃňĵĿļĶё ŇĻļņ ĿļŀļŇ ĵĸļŁĺ ӄׇŀ ʼnѼŌĸĴŅ ҎŀļĿĿļņļĸʼnĸŅŇ ŃĸŅ ŌĸĴŅҏє ĻĸŅĸĹłŅĸ ļŁ ŅĴŁĶĸё ŇĻĸ ķļņĶĻĴŅĺĸņ ŃŅłķňĶĸķ ĵŌ ŇĻĸ ŁňĶĿĸĴŅ industry have an extremely small radiological impact. ג ِ׏ِ ב xȒȇǣɎȒȸǣȇǕ ǣȅȵȒɀƺƳ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ 0ɖȸȒȵƺƏȇ ÈȇǣȒȇ ŅŇļĶĿĸ ӆӈׇłĹ ŇĻĸ ŅĸĴŇŌ ŅĸńňļŅĸņ ŇĻĴŇ ŇĻĸ ĸŀĵĸŅ States establish the facilities needed to carry out continuous monitoring of the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil and to ensure compliance with the basic standards of health protection ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ĺĸŁĸŅĴĿ ŃňĵĿļĶ ĴŁķ ŊłŅľĸŅņ ĴĺĴļŁņŇ ŇĻĸ ĻĴōĴŅķņ łĹ ļłŁļņļŁĺ radiation. All Member States, whether or not they have nuclear facilities, are therefore required to implement environmental monitoring arrangements throughout their territory. ŅŇļĶĿĸ ӆӈׇĴĿņł ņŇĴŇĸņ ŇĻĴŇ ŇĻĸ ňŅłŃĸĴŁ łŀŀļņņļłŁ ŀĴŌ ĴĶĶĸņņ the monitoring facilities to verify their operation and their effectiveness. During its verifications, the European Commission gives an opinion on the means implemented by the member states to monitor radioactive discharges into the environment and the levels of radioactivity in the environment around nuclear sites and over the national territory. It gives its assessment of the monitoring equipment and methodologies used and of the organisational setup. ļŁĶĸ ӄӌӌӇё ŇĻĸ ňŅłŃĸĴŁ łŀŀļņņļłŁ ĻĴņ ĶĴŅŅļĸķ łňŇ ŇĻĸ ĹłĿĿłŊļŁĺ verification inspections: Ҋ the La Hague reprocessing plant and the Manche repository of the ĴŇļłŁĴĿ ĴķļłĴĶŇļʼnĸ ĴņŇĸ ĴŁĴĺĸŀĸŁŇ ĺĸŁĶŌ Ҏ ŁķŅĴҏ ļŁ ӄӌӌӉђ Ҋ Ļłłō ļŁ ӄӌӌӌђ Ҋ ĸĿĿĸʼnļĿĿĸіņňŅі łļŅĸ ļŁ ӄӌӌӇׇĴŁķ ӅӃӃӆђ Ҋ the La Hague reprocessing plant in 2005; Ҋ ŇĻĸ ļĸŅŅĸĿĴŇŇĸ ŁňĶĿĸĴŅ ņļŇĸ ļŁ ӅӃӃӋђ Ҋ the old uranium mines in the Limousin département in 2010; Ҋ the CEA site at Cadarache in 2011; Ҋ the environmental radioactivity monitoring facilities in the Paris area in 2016; Ҋ ŇĻĸ Ĵ Ĵĺňĸ ŅĸŃŅłĶĸņņļŁĺ ŃĿĴŁŇ ļŁ ӅӃӄӋє 154 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 ׎ ٲ ב REGULATION OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND EXPOSURE TO IONISING RADIATION