LES ACTIVITÉS NUCLÉAIRES : RAYONNEMENTS IONISANTS ET RISQUES POUR LA SANTÉ ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT This Circular stipulates that the nuclear licensee, under State supervision, is responsible for financing and distributing stable iodine tablets within the PPI radius around installations liable to release radioactive iodine in the event of an accident. The previous information and iodine tablets distribution campaign within a radius of 0 to 10 km around the NPPs was carried out in 2016-2017, supplemented in 2019-2021 by a campaign in the 10-20 km zone following extension of the PPIs. Following the Prime Minister’s signature of instruction 6454/SG on 5 July 2024, a campaign to renew the tablets distributed in 20162017 in the 0-10 km zone around NPPs began in September 2024. A distribution campaign also started at the beginning of January 2025 around military ports. As a result of these campaigns, more than 540,000 boxes of iodine tablets were dispensed to the public by 422 pharmacies. To avoid supply disruptions in these establishments and by extension to the population, continuous distribution will begin at the start of autumn 2026. Outside the zone covered by a PPI, tablets are stockpiled to cover the rest of the country. In this respect, the Ministries responsible for health and for the interior decided to establish stockpiles of iodine tablets which are maintained and managed by Santé publique France (Public Health France). Each Prefect defines the procedures for distribution to the population by means of a specific Orsec Iodine system, in compliance with the Circular of 11 July 2011. For its implementation, it relies on the local authorities (municipalities, public inter-municipal cooperation bodies – EPCIs, etc.) and the services of the State responsible for emergency management. Specific exercises can be held on this subject. 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 large number of people could be contaminated by radionuclides or exposed to high doses of ionising radiation (irradiation). These people will have to be cared for by rescue teams duly trained and equipped for this type of operation, using validated scientific knowledge and tools, mobilised by all the players involved. ASNR is directly involved in several research projects contributing to these developments. The Circular of 18 February 2011 regarding national doctrine for the use of emergency resources and care to deal with an act of terrorism using radioactive substances, specifies the provisions which also apply to a nuclear or radiological accident, and which 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 first version of which was published in 2018, and the drafting of which was coordinated by ASN, 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 auspices of ASN, a new version of this Guide including the organisational changes made since 2008 and the new protocols and methods for treating contamination, was published in June 2023. The care of irradiated/contaminated people is the subject of ongoing research, carried out as part of structured research programmes based on competitive calls for proposals. ASNR took part in the Hemplus research project on the production of stem cells, supported by the ANR, and piloted the Astrid Caesar project on the early diagnosis of localised radiation-induced lesions. These two projects, carried out in partnership with academic and institutional players, were completed in 2025. 1.4 Understanding the long-term consequences The post-accident phase concerns the long-term management of the consequences of environmental contamination 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 procedure followed by the Codirpa, set up by ASN in 2005 at the request of the Prime Minister, led to the development of constituents of a first national doctrine for the post-accident management of a moderate scale nuclear accident leading to short-duration releases (less than 24 hours), published in 2012. Following the work done by Codirpa to take better account of the lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP, Operating Experience Feedback (OEF) from emergency response exercises, changes to the regulations and to the international recommendations, a new version of the recommendations for postaccident management of a nuclear accident was published in 2022. This document today constitutes the basis for post-accident management of a nuclear accident in France. It is intended for the local and national players concerned. Its purpose is both to encourage these bodies to consider how to prepare for such a situation and to guide them in the management of a real emergency. The work of the Codirpa has continued in order to complete these recommendations, leading to the recent publication of several reports. These include taking better account of accidents outside HIGHLIGHT No. 1 A Post-accident Serious Game – Demeterres Mousse As part of the Demeterres Mousse research project, ASNR developed a serious game(1) in 2023 to help stakeholders jointly assess possible remediation strategies following a Fukushima-type nuclear accident. It places stakeholders in a hypothetical scenario following an accident at the Blayais NPP, using a map that highlights the agricultural, vineyard, forest and urban areas that would be affected, in accordance with the different zones defined in the current Codirpa guidelines. Structured as a participatory workshop, this game enables each participant to share their views on possible measures to reduce contamination, the potential outcomes of these measures, and the criteria for selecting them from both a technical and a societal perspective. In 2025, a workshop was run with students from the French Institute of Geography (IFG), and the lessons learned from the workshops held with the Blayais Local Nuclear Information Committee (CLIN) and Anccli were presented to all the participants in November 2025. 1. A serious game is a type of game that combines a serious approach to a subject (for training, education, information or other purposes) with a fun element, developed to help players engage with the subject matter. 182 ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025
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