breakdown of doses depending on the sector. For example, the medical (including dental) and veterinary activities sector, which comprises a significant share of the population monitored (58.5%), accounts for only 9.7% of the collective dose; on the other hand, the nuclear industry, which represents just 24% of the headcount, accounts for 54% of the collective dose. Moreover, the sector concerned by exposure to natural radioactivity (excluding military aircrew), which represents just 6.2% of the total headcount, accounts for 30.9% of the collective dose The non-nuclear industry and the research sectors represent 4% and 2.6% of the headcount respectively and account for 4% and 0.2% of the collective dose respectively. Table 3 shows that for external exposure, the total number of workers(7) monitored in 2023 was 360,743, a 6.6% decrease compared with 2022. The collective dose is 84.2 man-Sv, a figure that is down by 5% compared with that for 2022. The main cause of this being the decline in staff numbers in the medical, dental and veterinary sectors and the reduction in occupational exposure to natural radioactivity. With regard to the dosimetry of the extremities (fingers and wrist), 25,852 workers were monitored in 2023, down by 6.3% compared with 2022 (i.e. 7.2% of the total number of persons monitored). With regard to dosimetric monitoring of the lens of the eye, which had been increasing since 2015, it has been stabilising since 2021. It concerned 5,762 workers in 2023. In 2023, five cases of exceedance(8) of the regulatory limit of 20 mSv for the whole body effective dose were registered, of which one was confirmed by the occupational health physician and four were not confirmed by the occupational health physician. The case of limit exceedance confirmed by the occupational health physician occurred in the dental sector and was detected in August 2023 for a cumulative dose of 25.9 mSv over 12 months rolling. The four other cases of occasional exceedance of this dose limit, which were not confirmed by the occupational health physician, concern: three cases in the medical field (diagnostic radiology, 7. The total number of workers monitored encompasses all the workers, including those involved in military and defence activities. 8. A sixth exceedance recorded by IRSN in its assessment has been reassessed by the occupational health physician since the report was published, the dose finally attributed being below the regulatory limit value. 9. The limit value of 20 mSv over twelve consecutive months came into effect on 1 July 2023 with a transitional period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2023 during which the cumulative value for the lens of the eye was set at 100 mSv, provided that the dose received over one year did not exceed 50 mSv. interventional radiology, dental sector), while the fourth case concerns a non- destructive testing worker in the non- nuclear industry sector. One case of exceedance of the regulatory limit for the equivalent dose to the extremities (500 mSv over twelve consecutive months), confirmed by the occupational health physician, was registered in the medical sector (interventional radiology) with cumulative doses of 534.93 mSv. In addition, three cases of exceedance of the regulatory limit for the equivalent dose to the skin of 500 mSv were registered. One case involved a worker in the nuclear logistics and maintenance sector, for whom the registered dose (520.4 mSv) was confirmed by the occupational health physician. The two other cases, which were not confirmed by the occupational health physician, involved workers who exceeded the effective whole body dose limit mentioned above: a worker in the dental sector and a worker in the industrial non- destructive testing sector. Lastly, an equivalent dose of 21.34 mSv to the lens of the eye was registered in the medical diagnostic radiology sector, but results from the accumulation of several doses over the calendar year 2023 and the cumulative dose from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2023 remains below the 100 mSv limit (76.2 mSv)(9). To conclude, as in the preceding years, the assessment of monitoring of workers exposed to ionising radiation in France in 2023 published by IRSN in September 2024, shows the overall effectiveness of the prevention system introduced in facilities where sources of ionising radiation are used, because for 92.7% of the population monitored, the annual dose remained below 1 mSv (effective annual dose limit for the public due to nuclear activities). The regular reduction in the number of the most heavily exposed workers over the last ten years should also be noted. Exceedances of the regulatory limit values remain exceptional. 3.1.2 Case of worker exposure to natural radioactivity Exposure to radioactive substances of natural origin and to radon of geological origin Worker exposure to radioactive substances of natural origin results either from the ingestion of dust from materials containing large amounts of radionuclides (phosphates, metal ores), or from the inhalation of radon formed by uranium decay (poorly ventilated warehouses, thermal baths) or from external exposure due to industrial process deposits (scale forming in piping for example). DIAGRAM 1 Average exposure of the French population 0.01 Others (discharges from facilities, fallout from atmospheric tests) 0.6 Terrestrial radiation 1.5 Medical 3.5 Radon TOTAL 6.5 mSv/year 0.6 Water and foodstuffs 0.3 Cosmic radiation Source: IRSN, 2021. 108 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 Nuclear activities: ionising radiation and health and environmental risks
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