ASN Report 2020

radiation by alternative non-ionising technologies (example: immunofluorescent (2) labelling of cells), or the grouping of the licenses of several laboratories into a single license for which the person responsible for the nuclear activity is usually the director of the newly created structure. Added to these factors, since early 2019, is the transfer of certain nuclear activities from the licensing system to the notification system (see point 2.4.2). This reduction should continue in the years to come, with the entry into effect of the new registration system: some nuclear activities in the research sector will come under this system. These facilities and laboratories use mainly unsealed sources for medical and biomedical research, molecular biology, the agri-food business, the sciences of matter and materials, etc. They can also be suppliers of unsealed sources. They also use sealed sources for performing gas-phase 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. 3.4.2 The radiation protection situation In 2020, ASN carried out 43 inspections in this sector (3) (49 inspections per year on average over the 2018‑2020 period). Some inspections scheduled for 2020 and considered non- priority were postponed until 2021 on account of the health crisis. Generally speaking, the steps taken in the last few years have brought improvements in the implementation of radiation protection measures in research laboratories, thanks to enhanced overall awareness of radiation protection issues. Among the observed areas of progress, ASN underlines the strong involvement of the RPAs with the research teams, resulting in better integration of radiation protection, particularly in operations involving ionising radiation sources. The other notable improvements, already observed in the preced­ ing years, concern the conditions of waste and effluent storage and removal, particularly the setting up of pre-disposal checking procedures. The way this subject is addressed nevertheless varies greatly from one licensee to another and remains a point requiring particular attention in universities which have historically stored their expired /disused sealed radioactive sources and their waste 2. Immunofluorescence is an immunolabelling technique that uses antibodies and fluorochromes. 3. Among these inspections, six focused exclusively on the use of sealed radioactive sources or X‑ray emitting devices. contaminated by radionuclides, sometimes over very long periods of time, rather than disposing of them regularly, which today poses two main problems: ∙ in view of their diversity, the radioactive waste and expired/ disused radioactive sources cannot be further managed without first being precisely identified and characterised; ∙ the disposal or removal, to which must be added prior characterisation where applicable, represents a significant financial cost which has often been neither foreseen nor budgeted for. The technical, economic and regulatory difficulties concerning the disposal of legacy sealed sources therefore persist, despite entry into effect on 1 July 2015 of Decree 2015‑231 of 27 February 2015 relative to the management of disused sealed radioactive sources. In effect, this text, which aims to facilitate the disposal of sealed sources, gives source holders the possibility of seeking alternative disposal routes with source suppliers or Andra without making it obligatory to return the source to its original supplier. ASN has identified areas for progress which will be subject to particular scrutiny in the next inspections, such as the individual dose assessment, which remains incomplete, and the classification of people working with ionising radiation, which is generally overestimated by the employers. This nevertheless has no impact on the health of the workers. The defining or updating of radiological zoning must also be improved, particularly by taking into account the actual radiation activities held or used and by performing periodic verifications of the radiological environment. Concerning the systematic deployment of systems for recording and analysing adverse events and Significant Radiation Protection Events (ESRs), a subject that received close attention in the preceding assessments, it continued to improve in 2020. In effect, among the inspected entities, only 10% still do not have a recording system, compared with 27% in 2019. In 2020, ASN recorded 21 ESRs concerning research activities (see Graph 12). The reported ESRs are essentially of three types: ∙ discovery of sources (48%); ∙ loss of sources (10%); ∙ loss of integrity of sealed radioactive sources (10%). The source losses and discoveries can be explained in particular by poor overall traceability: this often results from the failure to take action to dispose of them when laboratories cease their activity, or from irregular and incomplete keeping of source inventories. The rare cases of loss of integrity of sealed radioactive sources are linked in particular to shortcomings in performing complete internal radiation protection verifications (non-contamination checks in particular), failure to comply with the required verification frequency and poor traceability of results. These events have had no significant consequences on the personnel or facilities concerned. Ways of having the sources recovered by the initial suppliers are currently being studied. Lastly, ASN is continuing its collaboration with the General Inspectorate of the National Education and Research Adminis­ tration (IGAENR), which has competence for labour inspection in the public research sector. An agreement signed in 2014 provides for mutual information sharing, which improves the effectiveness and complementarity of the inspections. An annual meeting is held to assess the functioning of this collaboration. Research activities The use of ionising radiation in research activities extends to various fields such as medical research, molecular biology, the agri-food industry, materials characterisation, etc. It primarily involves the use of unsealed sources (iodine-125, phosphorous-32, phosphorous-33, sulphur-35, tritium-3, carbon-14, etc.). Sealed sources (barium-133, nickel-63, caesium-137, cobalt-60, etc.) are also used in gas chromatographs or scintillation counters or, with higher-activity sources, in irradiators. X‑ray generators rays are used for X‑ray fluorescence or X‑ray diffraction spectrum analyses. The use of scanners for small animals (cancer research) in research laboratories and faculties of medicine should also be noted. Particle accelerators are used in research into matter or for the manufacture of radionuclides. 260 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 08 – SOURCES OF IONISING RADIATION AND THEIR INDUSTRIAL, VETERINARY AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS