Pays de la Loire REGION The Nantes division regulates nuclear safety, radiation protection and the transport of radioactive substances in the 5 départements of the Pays de la Loire region. In 2022, ASN carried out 62 inspections, comprising 2 inspections in the facilities of the company Ionisos (Pouzauges and Sablé‑sur-Sarthe), 3 inspections of approved organisations, 4 in the transport of radioactive substances and 53 in small-scale nuclear activities (31 in the medical sector and 22 in the industrial, research and veterinary sectors). Three significant events in the industrial sector and one in the transport sector were rated level 1 on the INES scale in 2022. In the context of their oversight duties, the ASN inspectors issued one violation report. Ionisos irradiator The company Ionisos operates two industrial ionisation installations on the sites of Pouzauges (Vendée département) and Sablé‑sur‑Sarthe (Sarthe département). These installations constitute BNI 146 and 154 respectively The gamma radiation emitted is used to sterilise, destroy pathogenic germs or reinforce (by cross-linking) the technical properties of certain polymers, by exposing the products to be ionised (single-use medical equipment, packaging, raw materials and finished products for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, packing films) for a pre-determined length of time. Each installation comprises a pool for underwater storage of the radioactive sources, surmounted by a bunker in which the ionisation operations are performed, premises for storing the products before and after treatment, and offices and technical rooms. ASN considers that the operation of the Pouzauges and Sablé-sur-Sarthe irradiators is generally satisfactory in terms of nuclear safety and radiation protection, with improvements in the management of waste and emergency situations. Improvements must nevertheless be made in equipment monitoring and maintenance. Two modifications to the Pouzauges facility and one modification to the Sablé-surSarthe facility were authorised in 2022, concerning the extension of the use of certain radioactive sources aged more than 10 years. THE INSTALLATIONS AND ACTIVITIES TO REGULATE COMPRISE: Basic Nuclear Installations: •the Ionisos irradiator in Pouzauges, •the Ionisos irradiator in Sablé-sur-Sarthe; small-scale nuclear activities in the medical field: • 7 external-beam radiotherapy departments, • 2 brachytherapy units, • 12 nuclear medicine departments, • 39 centres performing fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures, • 56 computed tomography scanners, • some 2,500 medical and dental radiology devices; small-scale nuclear activities in the industrial, veterinary and research sectors: • 1 cyclotron, • 36 industrial radiography companies, including 10 performing gamma radiography, • 18 research units, • about 400 users of industrial equipment; activities associated with the transport of radioactive substances; ASN-approved laboratories and organisations: • 8 organisations approved for measuring radon, • 1 head-office of a laboratory approved for environmental radioactivity measurements. ABSTRACTS – ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2022 89
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