Pays de la Loire 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 2025, ASNR carried out 46 inspections, comprising 4 at the facilities of the company Ionisos in Pouzauges and Sablé‑sur‑Sarthe (2 on the theme of nuclear safety, 1 on radioactive substance transport and one on a transporter on the site) and 42 in smallscale nuclear activities (21 in the medical sector, 19 in the industrial, research or veterinary sectors, 1 in the transport sector and 1 in the area of natural radioactivity – radon). An event was classified at level 1 on the INES scale for the exposure of a MERM worker (Medical Electroradiology Radiographer) published in April 2025 following a notification in March 2025 by a radiology practice in Saint-Nazaire. 46 inspections 1 significant event on a level greater than or equal to 1 on the INES scale 0 significant event of level 2 or higher on the ASN-SFRO scale Ionisos irradiators The company Ionisos operates two industrial ionisation installations on the sites of Pouzauges (Vendée département) and Sablé‑sur‑Sarthe (Sarthe département) respectively, which use high-activity cobalt-60 sealed radioactive sources. These installations constitute BNIs 146 and 154 respectively. The gamma radiation emitted is used for sterilisation purposes or to 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. ASNR considers that the level of nuclear safety of operation of the Pouzauges and Sablé‑sur‑Sarthe irradiators has improved in 2025 compared with 2024, although further efforts are still required. Thus, at the beginning of 2025, following on from 2024, ASNR still noted difficulties with operational rigour, and in the management and fulfilment of the nuclear safety commitments made by the licensee to ASNR during inspections, and in the review of files from previous years. During an inspection of the Pouzauges site, it became apparent that the safety organisation needed to be strengthened. During an inspection at the Sablé-sur-Sarthe site, it was noted that actions that had already begun had not been finalised, even though they were eagerly awaited by ASNR. 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 sector: • 7 radiotherapy departments, • 2 brachytherapy units, • 12 nuclear medicine departments, • 37 centres practising 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, • 25 industrial radiography companies, including 7 performing gamma radiography, • 16 research units, • about 400 users of industrial, veterinary and research devices; ▸ activities associated with the transport of radioactive substances; ▸ ASNR-approved laboratories and organisations: • 6 organisations approved for measuring radon, • 1 head office of a laboratory approved for environmental radioactivity measurements. Chap.7 Chap 6 Chap.5 ABSTRACTS – ASNR Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2025 87
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