LES ACTIVITÉS NUCLÉAIRES : RAYONNEMENTS IONISANTS ET RISQUES POUR LA SANTÉ ET L’ENVIRONNEMENT nuclear reactors that may involve alpha emitting radionuclides, and defining strategies to reduce the contamination of areas affected by a radiological or nuclear accident – in conjunction with the management of the waste generated – while taking into account the issues specific to the different types of environment affected (urban, agricultural, forestry, etc.). They are also examining the relevance of the post-accident management doctrine in the event of radioactive substances being released into marine aquatic environments. This work is intended to feed into the operational decisions of ASNR’s emergency organisation in order to guarantee effective and relevant 1. CRITER (CRIse TERrain – Field crisis) is an information system that can be accessed online, developed by IRSN and designed to report specifically, in cartographic form, the results of environmental measurements in emergency situations. 2. CRIHOM (CRIse HOMme – Man crisis) is a computer system for collecting, processing and reporting data from measurements taken on exposed individuals. 3. Measurement of the radiation emitted by all or part of the human body, enabling the radionuclides present to be identified and the activity of each of them to be assessed. support for the Government in the event of a nuclear or radiological accident. Finally, as part of the Demeterres Mousse research project (see highlight 1), which ended in 2025, ASNR has developed and applied decision-making tools in post-accident situations, in particular software platforms to simulate the radiological impact of different management strategies for contaminated areas or to assess the doses to populations avoided through remediation. This approach enables comparisons to be drawn between different strategies and can therefore help decision-makers to choose the best strategies for post-accident management. 2 – ASNR’s role in an emergency and post-accident situation 2.1 The five key duties of ASNR In an emergency situation, ASNR is responsible for the following duties: ∙check the steps taken by the licensee and ensure that they are pertinent; ∙advise the authorities on measures to protect the population by assessing the nature and seriousness of the event, its evolution and possible developments, as well as the actual or potential radiological consequences of the situation; ∙define the strategy for environmental and human measurements and deploy its own resources in the field; ∙take part in the dissemination of information to the population and media; ∙act as Competent Authority within the framework of the international Conventions on Early Notification and on Assistance. Checking the measures taken by the licensee In the same way as for a standard situation, ASNR acts as the regulatory authority in an accident situation. In this particular context, ASNR ensures that the licensee exercises in full its responsibility for keeping the accident under control, mitigating the consequences, and rapidly and regularly informing the public authorities. It draws on its expertise and assessments and can at any time ask the licensee to perform appraisals and take the necessary actions, without however taking the place of the licensee in the technical operations. Advising the département and zone Prefects and the Government The decision by the Prefect concerning the general public protection measures to be taken in radiological emergency and post-accident situations depends on the actual or foreseeable consequences of the accident around the site. By law, ASNR is responsible for making recommendations to the Prefect and the Government. These recommendations are based on the analyses carried out by ASNR experts, both in terms of diagnosing the situation – including understanding the state of the facility where the accident took place and assessing the impact on people and the environment – and in terms of prognosis, for assessing the possible evolution of the event, particularly in terms of radioactive releases. These recommendations more specifically concern the steps to be taken to protect the population in the emergency and post-accident phases. Deployment of environmental and human radiation monitoring resources at the emergency site ASNR can send a mobile unit to the site of the event, consisting of a group of personnel (30 to 50 people, or more depending on the event) and resources dedicated to measuring radioactivity in the environment and monitoring the internal contamination of people. These resources are deployed by ASNR, in coordination with any other resources that may be mobilised. The mobile unit is responsible for coordinating environmental radioactivity measurements across the territory, by proposing a strategy based on measurement plans. All radioactivity measurement results are centralised in a dedicated web application called CRITER(1) accessible by public authorities and licensees. The measurements collected are interpreted by the ASNR Emergency Response Centre (located in Fontenay-aux-Roses) and help to support its assessments and recommendations. ASNR also defines the strategy for monitoring the internal contamination of individuals. This can lead to the mobilisation of measurement resources to carry out individual examinations in the event of suspected exposure to the radioactivity released during the accident. All the results of these individual measurements are centralised in a dedicated application called CRIHOM(2), to which the public authorities have access. The results of the measurements are analysed by the Emergency Response Centre and, if necessary, used to direct the people concerned to health care appropriate to the level of contamination detected, as well as to check the effectiveness of the protective measures taken (sheltering/evacuation and stable iodine ingestion). ASNR can also mobilise its fixed laboratories dedicated to analysing environmental samples and measuring people’s radiological exposure (radiotoxicological analyses, anthroporadiometric measurements(3), biological dosimetry). Circulation of information ASNR is involved in informing: ∙the media and the public: publication of press releases and press conferences; without calling into question the independence of ASNR’s communications, it is important for this action to be coordinated with the other bodies required to communicate (Prefects, licensees at both local and national levels, etc.); ∙institutional and voluntary sector players, local authorities, ministries, Prefectures, political authorities, general directorates of administrations, CLI, etc. ∙foreign nuclear safety regulators. Function of Competent Authority as defined by International Conventions The Environment Code provides for ASNR to fulfil the role of Competent Authority under the 1986 International Conventions on Early Notification and Assistance. As such, it collates and summarises information for the purposes of sending and receiving notifications and transmitting the information required under these Conventions to the international organisations (International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA – and European Union), as well as to countries potentially affected on their own territory, in coordination with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 183 01 02 03 04 05 09 06 10 07 11 13 08 12 A / Z
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