| For many years, industry and research have been using sources of ionising radiation in a wide variety of applications and locations. The issue for the radiation protection regulations currently in force is to check that, despite this great diversity, the safety of workers, the public and the environment is guaranteed. It is thus important to be able to supervise the conditions of production, possession, use and disposal of the sources. The investigations carried out by the ASN in 2004 confirmed that the means devoted to radiation protection in the industrial and research worlds vary widely. This situation led the ASN to define areas for action, in the light of these existing resources. This year, particular efforts were therefore focused on the manufacturers and suppliers of radionuclide sources, as they have considerable responsibility for the entire life of the radioactive sources, from production up to final disposal. It is therefore important for their situation with respect to radiation protection rules to be unambiguous. At the same time, the ASN continued gradually to acquire the means necessary for handling all its radiation protection supervision duties. | ||
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1 | PRESENTATION OF INDUSTRIAL AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES USING IONISING RADIATION |
| Industry and research employ radiation produced either by radionuclides - primarily artificial - in sealed or unsealed sources, or by electrical generators. The main applications in these sectors are presented below. | ||
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1.1 | Medical and dental radiodiagnosis |
| The main uses of sealed radioactive sources include the following. | ||
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1.1.1 Industrial irradiation | |
This is used for sterilising medical equipment, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products and for conservation of foodstuffs. At low doses, irradiation inhibits germination (potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger), kills insects and parasites in cereals, leguminous plants, fresh and dried fruits, fish and meat, and slows down the physiological process of decomposition of fresh fruits and vegetables. At medium doses, ionisation by irradiation prolongs the shelf-life of fresh fish and strawberries, eliminates deterioration agents and pathogenic micro-organisms in shellfish and meat (fresh or frozen), and technically improves foodstuffs, for example by increasing juice production from grapes or reducing the cooking time of dehydrated vegetables. At high doses, ionisation offers industrial sterilisation of meat and seafood, of ready-to-eat foods, of hospital meals and decontamination of certain food additives and ingredients such as spices, gums, and enzyme preparations. These consumer product irradiation techniques may be authorised because once the products are treated, they show no signs of added artificial radioactivity. Industrial irradiators use cobalt 60 sources, the total activity of which can exceed 250,000 TBq. Some of these installations are classified as basic nuclear installations (BNIs). |
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1.1.2 Non-destructive testing | |
Of the non-destructive
testing techniques, gamma radiography in particular uses radioactive
sources. It is used to inspect homogeneity defects in metal, particularly
in weld beads. It uses iridium 192 sources and cobalt 60, with activity
not exceeding about twenty terabecquerels. A gamma radiography appliance
mainly comprises: The gammagraph is usually a mobile device that can be moved from one site to another. |
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