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, children, infants) receiving the highest average dose out of the entire population exposed to a given installation, following realistic scenarios (taking into account the distance to 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 2015” in chapter 1 presents an assessment of the doses due to BNIs calculated by the licensees for the most exposed reference groups. For each of the nuclear sites presented, the radiological impact remains far below, or at most represents about 1% of the limit for the public, this limit being 1 mSv/year. Therefore in France, the discharges produced by the nuclear industry have an extremely small radiological impact. 4.1.3 Monitoring within the European framework Article 35 of the EURATOM Treaty requires that the Member 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 for the general public and workers against the hazards of ionising radiation. All Member States, whether or not they have nuclear facilities, are therefore required to implement environmental monitoring arrangements throughout their territory. Article 35 also states that the European Commission may access the monitoring facilities to verify their operation and their effectiveness. During its verifications, it 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 notably gives its assessment of the monitoring equipment and methodologies used and of the organisational setup. Since 1994, the European Commission has carried out the following verification inspections: ∙ the La Hague reprocessing plant and the Manche disposal facility of the French national radioactive waste management agency, in 1996; ∙ the Chooz NPP in 1999; ∙ the Belleville-sur-Loire NPP in 1994 and 2003; ∙ the La Hague reprocessing plant in 2005; ∙ the Pierrelatte nuclear site in 2008; ∙ the old uranium mines in the Limousin département in 2010; ∙ the CEA Cadarache site in 2011; ∙ the environmental radioactivity monitoring facilities in the Paris area in 2016; ∙ the La Hague reprocessing plant in 2018. From 14 to 16 December 2021, ASN took part in the verification visit by the European Commission on the environmental radioactivity monitoring system around the facilities operated by Orano at Malvesi in the Aude département. The conclusions of this visit will be written up in a report to be published on the European Commission’s website in 2022. 4.2 Environmental monitoring 4.2.1 The French National Network for Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring In France, many parties are involved in environmental radioactivity monitoring: ∙ the nuclear facility licensees, who perform monitoring around their sites; ∙ ASN, IRSN (whose duties as defined by Decree 2016-283 of 10 March 2016 include participation in radiological monitoring of the environment), the Ministries (General Directorate for Health, General Directorate for Food, General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud control, etc.), the services of the State and other public players carrying out monitoring duties across the national territory or in particular sectors (foodstuffs controlled by the Ministry for Agriculture, for example); ∙ the approved air quality monitoring associations (local authorities), environmental protection associations and Local Information Committees (CLIs). The French National Network of Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring (RNM) brings all these players together. Its primary aim is to collect and make available to the public all the regulation environmental measurements taken on French territory, by means of a dedicated website (mesure-radioactivite.fr). The quality of these measurements is guaranteed by a laboratories approval procedure (see point 4.3). The guidelines of the RNM are decided by a network steering committee made up of representatives from all the stakeholders in the network: ministerial departments, ARS, representatives of nuclear licensee or association laboratories, members of the CLIs, IRSN, ASN, etc. 4.2.2 The purpose of environmental monitoring The licensees are responsible for monitoring the environment around their facilities. The content of the monitoring programmes to be implemented in this respect (measurements to be taken and frequency) is defined in amended ASN resolution 2013‑DC0360 of 16 July 2013, and in the individual requirements applicable to each installation (Creation Authorisation Decree, discharge licensing orders or ASN resolutions), independently of the additional measures that can be taken by the licensees for the purposes of their own monitoring. This environmental monitoring: ∙ contributes to understanding the radiological and radio- ecological state of the facility’s environment through measurements of parameters and substances regulated in the requirements, in the various environmental compartments (air, water, soil) as well as in the biotopes and food-chain (milk, plants, etc.): a datum is determined before the facility is created and monitoring the environment throughout the lifetime of the facility enables any changes in this datum to be followed; ∙ helps verify that the impact of the facility on health and the environment is in conformity with the impact assessment; ∙ detects any abnormal increase in radioactivity as early as possible; ∙ ensures there are no facility malfunctions, notably by analysing the ground water and checking licensees’ compliance with the regulations; ∙ contributes to transparency and information of the public through the transmission of monitoring data to the RNM. 158 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2021 03 – REGULATION OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND EXPOSURE TO IONISING RADIATION
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