ASN Report 2020

1.3.1 General protection measures In the event of a major nuclear or radiological accident, a number of measures can be envisaged by the Prefect in order to protect the population: ∙ Sheltering and awaiting instructions: the individuals concerned, alerted by a siren, take shelter at home or in a building, with all openings closed, and wait for instructions from the Prefect broadcast by the media. ∙ Administration of stable iodine tablets: when ordered by the Prefect, the individuals liable to be exposed to releases of radioactive iodine are urged to take the prescribed dose of iodine tablets. ∙ Evacuation: in the event of a risk of large-scale radioactive releases, the Prefect may order evacuation. The populations concerned are asked to prepare a bag of essential personal effects, secure and leave their homes and go to the nearest assembly point. Taking stable iodine tablets is a means of saturating the thyroid gland and protecting it from the carcinogenic effects of radioactive iodines. The Circular of 27 May 2009 defines the principles governing the respective responsibilities of a BNI licensee and of the State with regard to the distribution of iodine tablets. This Circular requires that, as the party responsible for the safety of its facilities, the licensee finances the public information campaigns within the perimeter of the PPI and carries out permanent preventive distribution of the stable iodine tablets, free of charge, through the network of pharmacies. The national campaign of iodine tablets distribution to the populations within the zone covered by the PPIs between 10 and 20 km around the NPPs, was launched in September 2019. Outside the zone covered by a PPI, tablets are stockpiled to cover the rest of the country. In this respect, the Ministries for Health and for the Interior decided to create stocks of iodine tablets, positioned and managed by Santé Publique France (more particularly taking over the roles previously held by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Organisation – Eprus). Each Prefect defines the procedures for distribution to the population in their département , relying in particular on the mayors for this. This arrangement is described in a Circular of 11 July 2011 concerning the storage and distribution of potassium iodide tablets outside the zones covered by a PPI. Pursuant to this Circular, the Prefects have drawn up plans to distribute stable iodine tablets in a radiological emergency situation, which can be included in exercises being held for the local implementation of the PNRANRM. The Prefect may also take measures to ban the consumption of foodstuffs liable to have been contaminated by radioactive substances as of the emergency phase (until the facility has been restored to a controlled and stable state). The purpose of these measures, taken before the releases cease, is to facilitate management of the post-accident phase. Once the releases are over and the facility has returned to a stable state, further population protection steps are decided on, according to the deposition of radioactive materials in the environment. Depending on the ambient radioactivity level, this could involve: ∙ evacuating the population for a variable length of time; ∙ restrictions on the self-consumption of foodstuffs produced locally; ∙ checks on foodstuffs prior to marketing, in accordance with the maximum allowable levels of radioactive contamination defined at European level for the sale of foodstuffs. 1.3.2 Care and treatment of exposed persons In the event of a radiological emergency situation, a significant number of people could be contaminated by radionuclides. These persons shall be cared for by the emergency response teams duly trained and equipped for this type of operation. The Circular of 18 February 2011 defines national doctrine concerning the use of emergency and care resources in the event of a terrorist act involving radioactive substances. These provisions, which also apply to a nuclear or radiological accident, aim to implement a unified nationwide methodology for the use of resources, in order to optimise efficiency. The Medical intervention following a nuclear or radiological event Guide , the drafting of which was coordinated by ASN and which was published in 2008, accompanies Circular DHOS/HFD/DGSNR No. 2002/277 of 2 May 2002 concerning the organisation of medical care in the event of a nuclear or radiological accident, giving all the information of use for the medical response teams in charge of collecting and transporting the injured, as well as for the hospital staff. Under the aegis of the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), a new version of this Guide taking account of changes to certain practices, is currently under preparation. 1.4 U nderstanding the long-term consequences The post-accident phase concerns the handling over a period of time of the consequences of long-term contamination of the environment by radioactive substances following a nuclear accident. It covers the handling of consequences that are varied (economic, health, environmental and social), by their nature complex and that need to be dealt with in the short, medium or even long term, with a view to returning to a situation considered to be acceptable. The conditions for reimbursement for the damage resulting from a nuclear accident are currently covered by Act 68-943 of 30 October 1968, amended, concerning Civil Liability in the field of nuclear energy. France has also ratified the protocols signed on 12 February 2004, reinforcing the Paris Convention of 29 July 1960 and the Brussels Convention of 31 January 1963 concerning Civil Liability in the field of nuclear energy. These protocols and the measures necessary for their implementation are codified in the Environment Code (Section I of Chapter VII of Title IX of Book V). These provisions and the new liability thresholds set by the two protocols entered into force in February 2016, pursuant to the 17 August 2015 Act on Energy Transition for Green Growth (TECV Act). An Order of 19 August 2016 sets the list of sites with more limited risks which benefit from a reduced liability amount. As part of its ongoing analysis of the management of the post- accident phase, the Codirpa, set up by ASN in 2005 at the request of the Prime Minister, worked to learn the lessons from the post- accident management employed in Japan after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, but also the experience feedback from emergency exercises. Following this work, the Codirpa recommended a number of changes to post-accident doctrine, which ASN transmitted to the Prime Minister, who accepted them in June 2020. The main one is simplification of the post-accident zoning, constituting the basis for the population protection measures: ∙ To protect the population from the risk of external exposure, the population evacuation perimeter (uninhabitable zone) would be maintained, on the basis of an annual effective dose value of 20 millisieverts per year (mSv/year) for the first year, due to external exposure alone. The consumption and sale of foodstuffs produced locally would be prohibited within this zone. 178 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 04 – RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS