Abstracts ASN Report 2019

These facilities and laboratories use mainly unsealed sources for medical and biomedical research, molecular biology, the agrifood business, the sciences of matter and materials, etc. They can also be suppliers of unsealed sources. They also use sealed sources for performing gasphase chromatography, liquid scintillation counting or in irradiators. X-ray generators are also used for X-ray fluorescence or X-ray diffraction spectrum analysis. Particle accelerators are used for research into matter or for the production of radionuclides. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 249 ׎ ٲ ז SOURCES OF IONISING RADIATION AND THEIR INDUSTRIAL, VETERINARY AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS 08 Áǝƺ ˡȸɀɎ ƏƬƬƺǼƺȸƏɎȒȸ ǣȇɎƺȇƳƺƳ ǔȒȸ ǣȇɀȵƺƬɎǣȇǕ ǔȸƺǣǕǝɎ ɎȸƏǣȇɀ ǣȇ IȸƏȇƬƺ ǣȇɀɎƏǼǼƺƳ ƏɎ Ɏǝƺ ƺȇɎȸƏȇƬƺ ɎȒ Ɏǝƺ !ǝƏȇȇƺǼ ɎɖȇȇƺǼ In 2019, ASN authorised the possession and use of a particle accelerator on the SNCF site of Fréthun (Pas-de-Calais département ), at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, for the inspection of goods trains travelling to the United Kingdom. The inspections performed by the French customs officers aim to confirm that consignments passing through the tunnel are safe by improving the detection of illicit products on board the train. This is the first device of this type installed on French territory. The project first required the issuing of a first license by ASN to the supplier of the device (based on an examination that focused on the design of the device and its intrinsic safety features), enabling the supplier to commission the facility and train the users. This was followed by the issuing of two further licenses, one for the possession of the device, issued to the company Eurotunnel, the other for the utilisation of the device, issued to the French customs authorities. The facility uses a particle accelerator and a detection column delivering images that are analysed by the customs officers. During the various phases of its review, ASN was particularly attentive to measures implemented to ensure the radiation protection of the workers, particularly the train drivers, and the public. The facility features the necessary means for the protection of people against ionising radiation, more specifically by disabling the triggering of ionising radiation exposures when people are within the inspection area: reinforced walls designed to attenuate the radiation, system of optical barriers to detect intrusions, intelligent cameras capable of identifying the presence of individuals and therefore stopping or preventing X-ray emission, readily accessible emergency stop device, visual and audio information provided around the site. GRAPH 11 Distribution over the French territory, according to the ASN entity responsible for the licensing of institutions authorised to use unsealed radioactive sources in the research sector in 2019 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 Paris Bordeaux Marseille Lyon Strasbourg/ Châlons Nantes Lille Orléans Dijon Caen DTS* Number of authorizations 16 16 17 26 33 52 60 63 97 107 210 * The Transport and Sources Department examines the research activities when they are linked to suppliers of ionising radiation sources.