Contamination incident on 5 October 2005

On 5 October 2005, two packages loaded with spent fuel transported on sealed rail wagons left the Golfech nuclear power plant for the La Hague reprocessing plants via the Valognes rail terminal.

In accordance with the procedures, radiological inspections were carried out by the nuclear power plant and an independent organisation in turn, prior to departure of the convoy. No contamination point higher than the regulation limits was identified on this occasion.

These same procedures require a further radiological inspection when the convoy reaches the Valognes terminal, prior to any handling of the packaging for transfer to a road trailer. This inspection detected a contamination point higher than the regulation limits on a package, in an area that was inaccessible during transport. As soon as it was detected, this area was cleaned up.

There were no consequences for the environment, the personnel or the public.

Owing to the surface contamination identified on the packaging, and at the proposal of the Golfech nuclear power plant operator, the ASN decided to rate this event at level 1 on the INES scale.

Contamination incident of 28 November 2005

A spent fuel package was being transported on 28 November 2005 and following package transfer from the road trailer to a rail wagon, the radiological inspections carried out at the Ferté-Saint-Aubin rail terminal revealed a smearable surface contamination point of 5790 becquerels per square centimetre on the road trailer. This contamination was far higher than the regulation limit value of 4 becquerels per square centimetre. It was situated on the front-left part of the trailer, on the tarpaulin rail, an area that is not accessible to any third party in normal transport conditions. If one assumes this contamination to be fixed, owing to the difficulty involved in decontaminating the trailer, the contact dose rate of 11 microsieverts per hour exceeded the regulation limit of 5.

The trailer immediately underwent clean-up. This event had no consequences for the environment, the personnel or the public.

Owing to the fact that contamination was able to leave the Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux sites and the given the level of this contamination, this event was rated 1 on the INES scale.

Airport handling incidents

Handling incidents at airports, involving radioactive material packages, are considered to be transport incidents. Transport in fact comprises all operations and conditions associated with the movement of radioactive materials, especially loading, routing, including interim storage, and unloading.

In 2005, 9 incidents of this type were recorded at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports. These incidents concerned type 1 or excepted packages, which were damaged to varying extents.

Jointly with the DGAC (civil aviation authority) and the air transport police the ASN carried out a number of air cargo inspections. The carriers were reminded of the need to implement a radiation protection programme appropriate to the transport activities, to correctly secure the packages and make the personnel aware of the hazard of ionising radiation.

On 15 April 2005, an excepted type package fell from a pallet during handling in the cargo area of Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

The package had not been tied down and was crushed by a fork-lift truck, leading to leakage of the radioactive content. The liquid was completely absorbed by the absorbent material contained in the packaging.

The radiological measurements confirmed that there was no contamination of either the floor or the fork-lift truck. The package and its content were reconditioned and returned to the consignor.

Owing to the loss of containment of radioactive material, the ASN rated this incident at level 1 on the INES scale.