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Les risques liés aux expositions au tritium sont-ils sous-évalués ?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2008

F. Paquet  and
H. Métivier
F. Paquet
Affiliation:
IRSN, Direction scientifique, BP 3, 13115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France.
H. Métivier
Affiliation:
SFRP, BP 72, 92263 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France.
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Abstract

Le tritium est un radionucléide dont l’utilisation et la production vont croitre du fait du développement des nouveaux réacteurs à fusion et de la relance des programmes nucléaires dans le monde. La toxicité du tritium est bien connue mais ses effets sanitaires restent délicats à appréhender du fait d’une dosimétrie difficile et du faible nombre de cas de contamination survenus depuis son utilisation. L’estimation des risques liés à son utilisation repose sur les modèles de la CIPR qui permettent de calculer les doses délivrées dans les tissus grâce à un facteur de pondération WR qui tient compte de l’efficacité biologique relative des différents rayonnements. Quelques voix s’élèvent pour réclamer une révision du facteur de pondération utilisé pour les rayonnements bêta du tritium, arguant que celui-ci peut s’incorporer dans l’ADN et donc être plus toxique que les autres radionucléides émetteurs bêta. Une revue des différents travaux menés sur le sujet et publiés dans la littérature montre en réalité que l’efficacité biologique relative du tritium n’est pas très différente de celle des rayonnements gamma, pris comme rayonnements de référence. Ceci plaide pour un maintien du facteur de pondération unitaire actuel, initialement proposé puis réaffirmé récemment par la CIPR.

Keywords

tritiumEBRWR
Type
Research Article
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 193 - 201
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2008

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