ASN Report 2020

Actions of ASN regional divisions in the prevention of the radon risk in the regions In 2020, the ASN regional divisions, along with the public authorities (Regional directorate for environment, planning and housing – Dreal, Regional Health Agency – ARS, Regional directorate for enterprises, competition, consumption, labour and employment – Direccte) and the partner organisations (Cerema, trade associations, local authorities, etc.), continued the actions to raise the awareness of elected officials, building trade professionals, employers, managers of buildings open to the public and the general public to the regulatory changes made since 2018 (see point 3.2.2). For example: ཛྷ In the Pays de la Loire and Bretagne region, where the département s (apart from Sarthe) have between 65% and 93% of their municipalities situated in zones of significant radon potential (category 3), the Nantes regional division organised jointly with the ARS, Dreal and Direccte, two “Radon mornings”, one in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine département ), the other as a webinar for the Vendée département ). Between 50 and 80 representatives of local authorities, schools, healthcare and social institutions, associations and approved organisations took part in each event. Both events presented the new regulatory obligations in buildings open to the public, in the work place and in the private home (information provided to buyers and tenants) to encourage the local authorities to conduct radon measurement campaigns in the home and general public awareness-raising campaigns. In these regions, ASN also financed four actions promoted by local centres for environmental initiatives or regional authorities, notably campaigns of voluntary radon measurement in the home and assisting people faced with high radon concentrations under the Regional Health and Environment Plan in Pays de la Loire. On this account the Nantes division, in collaboration with the ARS, also participated in the launch meetings for radon measurement campaigns in the home. ཛྷ In Bourgogne-Franche-Comté , the concluding of the first phase of the Franco-Swiss JURADBAT project led to the launching of a website dedicated to radon and interior air quality in the Jura arc in 2019, while 2020 was devoted to measures to ensure the long-term continuity of this website. This website constitutes an online toolbox to inform the local population, the regional authorities and the building trade professionals. The website features general information, regulatory information, practical and technical sheets, interactive radon measurement maps for Switzerland and Franche‑Comté, and training modules. ཛྷ In the Centre‑Val de Loire region, the Orléans division helped inform the elected officials of the four municipalities concerned by the implementation of a screening campaign situated in zone 3 (high radon potential) of the Cher département . ཛྷ In Nouvelle‑Aquitaine , the Bordeaux division put in place, jointly with the ARS, the Direccte and the Dreal, a communication plan for elected officials and managers of buildings open to the public to assist them with the implementation of the new regulatory provisions. ཛྷ In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and in Occitanie, the ASN regional divisions co-signed information letters for the managers of building open to the public. In addition, the radiation protection inspections carried out in 2020 in medical or industrial facilities situated in municipalities in radon potential zone 3 were used by some regional divisions to explain the regulatory obligations of managers of building open to the public and of employers in work places. This awareness-raising was accompanied by targeted inspections of buildings open to the public: state lower and upper secondary schools, managed by the departmental and regional councils respectively, and spas. The Marseille division, jointly with the ARS, thus conducted an inspection of the Regional Council of Provence‑Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The Lyon division inspected the Departmental Councils of the Isère, Haute-Loire and Rhône département s. It also inspected a spa in which a high concentration of radon had been measured. These inspections confirmed the need to monitor over time the measures taken by these facilities to reduce exposure to radon. The Nantes division carried out two inspections at the Departmental Council of Sarthe (the last Departmental Council not to have been inspected in the preceding years in the Pays de la Loire and Bretagne regions) and the town of Laval to check the implementation of the radon measurement campaign in schools (primary and lower secondary schools) and the measures taken if thresholds were exceeded. These inspections revealed the exceeding of the regulatory deadlines for taking measurements and the need to update the assessments of occupational risks in this respect. The Dijon division gave priority to the inspection of spas. Two inspections were carried out in the spas of Salin‑les‑bains and Luxueil‑les‑bains. These inspections showed that these facilities are duly aware of the radiation protection issues and take good account of the requirements of the Public Health Code and the Labour Code. Consequently, the radon screening campaigns had been carried out in the buildings open to the public and those reserved for the employees, even though the municipalities are not classified in radon potential zone 3. A few additional inspections must nevertheless be carried out to complete the worker exposure assessments. Several other awareness-raising or oversight actions planned in 2020 were postponed due to the health crisis. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 117 01 – NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES: IONISING RADIATION AND HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS 01