In the case of accidental exposure to ionising radiation, estimation of the absorbed dose in the organismis an important indicator for evaluating the biological consequences. To complete the clinical andbiological investigations, physical dosimetry methods can be used to provide an estimate of the absorbeddose and its distribution in the organism. This article describes the development of calculation tools inphysical dosimetry, in particular a numerical anthropomorphic phantom which can be adapted to eachindividual. A standard model was developed from the data available in the ICPR Publication 23. A set oftests was carried out with the model dimensions being modified to study the effect of morphology on thedose calculation. A comparison was made with another standard model used in internal dosimetry. Thesestudies highlight the parameters to be taken into account in the model, depending on whether the accidentis local or global.

Un bilan résumé des connaissances sur le radiocobalt dans le milieu terrestre est présenté. La chimie du cobalt dans les sols est étroitement liée à celle du fer et du manganèse. Il présente une meilleure solubilité en milieu acide. On estime que 5 à 10 % du cobalt total du sol sont hydrosolubles ou facilement extractibles, et que la majeure partie du cobalt est, soit faiblement adsorbée sur les argiles, soit complexée avec les acides humiques. L'intensité de l'absorption racinaire du cobalt par les végétaux est conditionnée principalement par le pH du sol, par la présence d'éléments tels le fer, l'aluminium ou le calcium et, dans une moindre mesure, par la texture du sol et sa teneur en matière organique. Les résultats concernant le transfert foliaire sont peu nombreux. Pour une contamination foliaire unique, l'intensité du transfert varie en fonction du stade végétatif de la plante au moment de la contamination. Comme pour d'autres radioéléments, le transfert résultant d'un apport sur les organes aériens est plus pénalisant que le transfert d'origine racinaire, pour un dépôt équivalent. Les transformations alimentaires permettent d'abaisser de près de 50 % l'activité résiduelle des aliments, par comparaison avec les végétaux récoltés bruts.

In January 2009, the IAEA EMRAS II (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety II) program was launched. The goal of the program is to develop, compare and test models for the assessment of radiological impacts to the public and the environment due to radionuclides being released or already existing in the environment; to help countries build and harmonize their capabilities; and to model the movement of radionuclides in the environment. Within EMRAS II, nine working groups are active; this paper will focus on the activities of Working Group 1: Reference Methodologies for Controlling Discharges of Routine Releases. Within this working group environmental transfer and dose assessment models are tested under different scenarios by participating countries and the results compared. This process allows each participating country to identify characteristics of their models that need to be refined. The goal of this working group is to identify reference methodologies for the assessment of exposures to the public due to routine discharges of radionuclides to the terrestrial and aquatic environments. Several different models are being applied to estimate the transfer of radionuclides in the environment for various scenarios. The first phase of the project involves a scenario of nuclear power reactor with a coastal location which routinely (continuously) discharges 60Co, 85Kr, 131I, and 137Cs to the atmosphere and 60Co, 137Cs, and 90Sr to the marine environment. In this scenario many of the parameters and characteristics of the representative group were given to the modellers and cannot be altered. Various models have been used by the different participants in this inter-comparison (PC-CREAM, CROM, IMPACT, CLRP POSEIDON, SYMBIOSE and others). This first scenario is to enable a comparison of the radionuclide transport and dose modelling. These scenarios will facilitate the development of reference methodologies for controlled discharges.

Dust particles generated in the ITER Tokamak may include some tritium. The coefficients derived to evaluate the doses resulting from the inhalation of the usual forms of tritium (gaseous, tritiated water, organic form) are not adequate for tritiated dust. This paper is a short literature study about the assessment of tritiated dust dose coefficients and their significance in worker, population and environmental protection for ITER

During the Chernobyl accident, large areas in Europe, particularly forests, were contaminated by radiocaesium. Soil-plant transfer is often the first step by which 137Cs enters to food chains by incorporating the forest biogeochemical cycle. The present work is devoted to assess the soil-plant transfer of radiocaesium in weakly contaminated forest area, in the Franche-Comté region (16 202 km2) in North Eastern France. This region has been markely contaminated after the Chernobyl accident. Twelve sites, with various functional features and high diversity of ecological contexts were selected to sample forests trees. Two species (Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica) and two organs, (leaves or needles and young branches) were sampled for radioactivity measurements. Radiocaesium activities in soils varied between 61 to 280 Bq.kg-1DW at 0-5 cm depth and between 14 to 224 Bq.kg-1DW at 10-15 cm. Radiocaesium activities in leaves, needles and branches displayed high variability. We reported a large variability of Aggregated Transfer Factors (Tag) values with respect to vegetation type, organ type and soil features. The activity concentration in the leaves and needles were generally higher than those measured in the branches. The Tag values could be explained by the radiocaesium bioavailability variability in relation to soil type, soil features and environmental parameters.

The results of an environmental survey of tritium in the vicinity of Creys-Malville nuclear plant are presented. The plant, which was shut down in 1998, is currently in its initial stage of dismantling. Measurements in the terrestrial environment do not provide any indication that tritium levels are significantly above the regional background. Tritium concentrations in groundwaters and in the river Rhône waters are at their background level too, with values in the range 0.94-1.64 Bq/l. In contrast, the various aquatic compartments of the river (fishes, plants, sediments) show enriched non-exchangeable bound tritium concentrations both upstream and downstream of the power plant, with values up to 14.7, 49 and 1495 Bq/kg (dry weight) respectively. Although fine particles of tritiated compounds entering in the composition of luminous paints have been suspected on several occasions, the nature and the origin of this tritium source, which is not related to the nuclear plant, remain unknown and will require further investigations.

Le code de calcul EGS 4 développé au SLAC sous l'égide de W.R. Nelson, D.W. Rogers et H.Hirayama (Nelson et al., 1985) est particulièrement performant. Nous nous intéressons dans ce travail à l'installation du logiciel sous DOS 6.2 & Windows et à l'identification de quelques erreurs.

In the radiobiological studies of aquatic organisms, fish eggs are a favorite subject for experimental work because of easy availability of embryos and the possibility of observing the development of embryos within eggs. Data from Russian/FSU publications concerning the effects of ionizing radiation on the survival and development of fish eggs were compiled within the framework of the EC Project EPIC “Environmental Protection from Ionizing Contaminants in the Arctic" (2000-2003). Comparative analysis was performed for effects on roe of two representative fish species: cold-water fish salmon (Salmo salar), and pike (Esox lucius), which is widespread predatory fish from the temperate climatic zone.

Iodine-129 is a radionuclide of major concern in the international safety assessments for deep geological storage and disposal of nuclear waste because it migrates quickly through the geosphere to the biosphere and then from the soil to humans through the food-chain. However, in organic soils the 129I may be immobilized over a long time period, and so these soils represent a potential accumulation point in the biosphere. Effects of long residence times of iodine in soils are scarce. The present paper gives some insight on the aging of stable iodine under natural conditions. Stable iodine was introduced as KI in 1987 at the base of a sphagnum bog to simulate arrival of iodine via a groundwater discharge from the geosphere. Fifteen years later, the groundwater, the soil and the vegetation have been sampled and analysed for iodine. The results we present give insight on the mobility of “aged" iodine, the retention properties of the peat, and provide iodine transfer factors for native boreal plant species. This study demonstrates bogs present good sinks for iodine and limit the transfer of iodine to some of the “wildlife" food-chains.

SYLVESTRE est une base de données de l’IRSN permettant la valorisation, l’exploitation et le stockage des données ayant trait aux mesures de radioactivité réalisées sur des échantillons de l’environnement. Constamment alimentée et améliorée depuis sa création en 1991, elle constitue aujourd’hui un outil essentiel au service de la qualité. Les utilisateurs ont un accès facile, via le réseau interne de l’IRSN, à l’interface développée afin de répondre au mieux aux différents besoins : introduction des données ayant trait aux prélèvements, aux préparations et aux mesures, exportations de pans de données à des fins de vérifications ou d’expertises. Le souci constant d’amélioration des fonctionnalités et de minimisation des saisies ou des recopies manuelles de données dans la base a conduit à mettre en place plusieurs outils ou programmes périphériques (tablettes numériques de terrain, étiquetages codes-barres des échantillons, automatisation de requêtes multicritères, …).

A greenhouse pot culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of graded levels ofwaste mica (0, 10, 20 and 40 g kg-1) on reducing the radiocesium uptake byspinach (Spinacia olerecea L) and lettuce (Lactuca sativaL.) grown in 134Cs-contaminated (at 37 k Bq kg-1 soil)Inceptisols, Vertisols and Ultisols. The biomass yield, and potassium content and itsuptake by crops have been significantly improved by waste mica application. The cropsgrown in Vertisols recorded higher biomass yield, and K content and its uptake as comparedwith Inceptisols and Ultisols. The average 134Cs transfer factor valuesrecorded were : 0.21, 0.17 and 0.26 at the first cutting, 0.15, 0.12 and 0.28 at thesecond cutting and 0.07, 0.05 and 0.23 at the third cutting from Inceptisols, Vertisolsand Ultisols, respectively. Waste mica significantly suppressed radiocesium uptake, theeffect being more pronounced at 40 g mica kg-1soil. There exists an inverserelationship between the 134Cs transfer factors with plant potassium contentand also the K uptake by the crops

Dans le cadre de l'instruction des demandes d'autorisation de rejet, ainsi que pour l'étude de l'impact dosimétrique sur le public des rejets d'effluents atmosphériques radioactifs en fonctionnement normal des installations nucléaires, l'Institut de protection et de sûreté nucléaire a développé le logiciel FOCON96. FOCON96 calcule la dispersion des gaz et des aérosols dans l'environnement (contamination de l'air et dépôt au sol), leur transfert dans la biosphère (sols, végétaux et animaux) et leur impact sur l'homme (doses individuelles efficaces et aux organes, exposition externe au panache et au dépôt, exposition interne par inhalation et ingestion). Doté d'une interface homme-machine ergonomique et conviviale, FOCON96 propose de nombreuses fonctionnalités (modularité, valeurs par défaut, choix de bibliothèques, accès à tous les paramètres des modèles, imposition de résultats, gestion de dossiers de calcul, calculs effectués en ligne,etc.). Dans le contexte européen, une intercomparaison avec le logiciel PC-CREAM, développé par le National Radiological Protection Board, a mis en évidence la cohérence des résultats des deux logiciels. Une même démarche comparative en ce qui concerne l'interface homme-machine et les fonctionnalités a mis en évidence une plus grande simplicité d'utilisation de FOCON96. àce jour, FOCON96 n'est pas adapté pour effectuer une reconstitution des doses reçues une année donnée consécutivement à un fonctionnement de longue durée dune installation. Une évolution du logiciel sera envisagée si ce type de calcul est amené à se généraliser.

Planning for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel is at an advanced stage in several nations around the world. Licensing of the disposal facility requires correspondingly detailed assessment of the future performance of the facility. With increased site-specific detail available to the assessment, local characteristics play an increasingly important role in determining the potential radiological risk posed by releases to the biosphere. In this paper we go beyond existing reference biosphere models and investigate the potential for specific accumulation mechanisms. The implications for the modelling carried out in long timescale performance assessment are discussed.

L’irradiation des patients et de l’opérateur au cours de coronarographie et/ou angioplastie coronaire, fait désormais partie des préoccupations légitimes de la cardiologie interventionnelle moderne. Les voies fémorales et radiales droites sont les voies d’accès privilégiées pour la réalisation de ces examens. Néanmoins, peu de registres comparent ces 2 voies d’abord en terme d’irradiation du patient et de l’opérateur. L’objectif de ce registre est une évaluation comparative de ces 2 techniques. 423 patients consécutifs ayant bénéficié dans notre centre de l’une ou l’autre de ces techniques réalisées entre octobre 2005 et mars 2006 ont été inclus. Les paramètres retenus sont les suivants : dose bras gauche opérateur, produit dose × surface pour le patient, temps global des procédures et durée de la scopie. Pour les 4 paramètres étudiés, les résultats sont significativement supérieurs en cas de coronarographie et coronarographie plus angioplastie ad hoc par voie radiale que par voie fémorale. Respectivement : (1) temps de scopie : 4 min versus 1,8 min, et 9,6 min versus 6,3 min ; (2) temps de procédure : 15 min versus 9,5, et 41 min versus 35,25 min ; (3) dose patient : 59 Gy cm2 versus 37,5 Gy cm2, et 123 Gy cm2 versus 102 Gy cm2 ; (4) dose opérateur : 29 µSv versus 13 µSv, et 69 µSv versus 40 µSv. Malgré son intérêt en terme d’économie de complication de voie d’abord, la voie radiale droite est significativement plus irradiante pour les patients et les opérateurs que la voie fémorale droite.

After a period of scepticism about the future of radioecology due to post Chernobyl political trends and decisions, recent events (worldwide nuclear renaissance, Fukushima accident) demonstrate that the discipline is not only still alive but definitely needed, perhaps more than ever. However, given its long standing anthropocentric view over the environment, it has for a long time been bound exclusively to human radioprotection needs. It is argued that moving toward a more integrated eco-centric view over the environment is the clue for radioecology to reach full maturity as a stand-alone discipline, a movement which does not prevent continuing its contribution to feed human radioprotection.

The activity concentration of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil and rock, and in benthic algae, corals and oysters across the St. Martin's island of Bangladesh were investigated together with physicochemical parameters and texture of soil with an aim of evaluating the radioecology of the island. Soil and rock samples from the twenty-two locations of the island, eleven species of benthic algae, six species of corals and two species of oysters were analyzed. The activity of 226Ra in soil was found in the range of 7.22–103.8, in benthic algae 2.5–9.7, in coral 5.5–10 and in oyster 4.2–11.5 Bq kg-1. The activity of 232Th in soil was found in the range of 14.56–216, in benthic algae 1.3–12.6, in coral 4.4–15.6 and in oyster 3.2–8.4 Bq kg-1; and the activity of 40K in soil was in the range of 322–732, in benthic algae 17.1–45.5, in coral 21–146 and in oyster 24–32 Bq kg-1. The external radiation dose rate due to activity concentration of natural radionuclides in soil was assessed. The activity of anthropogenic 137Cs was found below detection limit.


Siberian Chemical Enterprises (SCE), located 15 km from the city of Tomsk downstream the Tom river, has been put into operation in 1953 and has become one of the main uranium and plutonium production facilities in the world. In this paper the results are repoted on the concentrations of uranium-234, uranium-235 and uranium-238 in soil near the SCE. Experimental results on uranium isotopes determination in soil around the SCE on-site and off-site are discussed.

L’utilisation du tritium dans l’industrie horlogère pour amplifier la luminosité de la peinture luminescente peut être à l’origine de doses non négligeables au personnel de posage et conduit à la production de déchets radioactifs qui doivent être éliminés de façon correcte. Comme l’indiquent certaines enquêtes, bien des montres commercialisées n’ont pas la luminosité qu’est en droit d’attendre l’acheteur conformément à la norme concernant la radioluminescence pour les instruments horaires. Par ailleurs, il existe aujourd’hui des produits de substitution non radioactifs sur le marché. Enfin, la difficulté de maîtriser les héritages radiologiques provenant de l’industrie horlogère favorise inévitablement leur dissémination. L’ensemble de ces éléments est à la base du réexamen de la justification des peintures luminescentes radioactives. Les résultats exposés dans cet article confirment que la stratégie visant à renoncer naturellement à leur utilisation et à assister les entreprises dans le ramassage et l’élimination contrôlée des déchets est profitable à la radioprotection.

As part of its functions, the IAEA periodically reviews the status and continued relevance of the safety standards to the needs of its Member States. Recent work is described on the development of standards for the radioactive discharge control including the development of practical guidance for setting discharge limits, the elaboration of a methodology for the radiation protection of non-human species, and the preparation of guidance on environmental modeling and monitoring for radiation protection purposes. The development of the IAEA safety documents is influenced both by the new ICRP recommendations and feedback from practical experience of application of existing standards. Recent international and regional tendencies, to reduce radioactive discharges below levels justified by radiological criteria are discussed.

A screening ecological risk assessment was performed for regulatory compliance at two Ontario nuclear power generation station sites to establish design requirements for a contaminant-monitoring program and to address the need for non-contaminant stressor management. Site-specific assessments went beyond traditional contaminant risk assessment to include stressors associated with land-use change, cooling water systems and site storm water runoff. Valued terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem components were selected from species lists after stakeholder consultation, and contaminants of concern were selected based on their relative loadings, and with respect to regulatory and literature-based benchmarks. Predictive modeling was used to estimate chemical and radionuclide exposures and likelihood of effects. Potential adverse effects on biota were predicted for aqueous emissions of chlorine and storm water but not for radionuclides. Retrospective analyses of field monitoring were used to determine likelihood of effects from non-contaminant stressors. Individual-level adverse effects were observed for fish losses from cooling water intake. Depending on the site and the biological species, either beneficial or adverse effects from thermal discharge were observed. Follow-up studies include monitoring, laboratory study, computer modeling and mitigation. Field monitoring will generate more precise species-level estimates of intake fish losses, magnitude of fish response to thermal discharge and chlorine concentrations in near-field discharge waters. Laboratory study is determining the effectiveness of intake fish loss mitigation technology. Computer fish population models are being used to design field studies and interpret individual-level effects. Mitigation includes storm water controls and habitat biodiversity management projects to offset past losses from site development and construction. Contaminant monitoring is planned to collect necessary information to verify site specific risk assessment model predictions and confirm model parameters and assumptions. The updated contaminant risk assessment models will be used to adjust site monitoring programs.