The ASN presentation brochure

This brochure describes the resources employed by the ASN to supervise nuclear safety and radiation protection and inform the public. It presents the organisation chart, activities and values of the ASN, "independence, competence, stringency and transparency". It is distributed at the meetings and events in which the ASN takes part, and is also published in English in order to facilitate the ASN's international relations.

• The ASN's public information and documentation centre brochure

This document presents the types of audience for whom the centre is intended, the information needs it is designed to meet, the main characteristics of its documentary base and how it actually works in practice. It is widely distributed to various information providers: pedagogical documentation centers for teachers, "major risks" contact persons in the academies, science museum media libraries, libraries of the "Ecoles des mines" colleges, CLIs, exhibition and symposia sites in which the ASN participates, as well as the communication departments of the DRASS, DDASS and the prefectures.

The public information sheets

The "ASN information sheets" are designed to provide targeted, concise and pedagogical information on the main topics of nuclear safety and radiation protection.

These sheets are widely distributed among the general public and the teaching sector. They are available at the exhibitions and symposia in which the ASN participates and are sent out to various information providers such as the CLIs and the documentation centers for teachers. They are also available to the DSNRs (Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Departments) for local communication operations.

The collection currently comprises 6 numbers.

Sheet n° 1, "Administration of stable iodine in the event of a nuclear accident", in particular presents how taking stable iodine counteracts the possible effects on the thyroid of a release of radioactive iodine.

Sheet n° 2, "Radiation protection principles", presents the principles of justification, optimisation and limitation of ionising radiation exposure doses and the application of these principles to radiation protection of the public, patients and workers.

4 new sheets were published in 2005.

Sheet n° 3, "Nuclear or radiological: which term to use?", clarifies the definition and usage of these two words in the various fields of activity (industry, medical and research) liable to entail exposure to ionising radiation, and in the corresponding regulations.

Sheet n° 4, "Radiation protection values and units", describes the characteristics of ionising radiation. It defines the various values and units concerning this radiation or radioactivity, as well as how they are specifically used in quantifying the corresponding hazards.

Sheet n° 5, "The French nuclear fuel cycle" presents the operators involved in the sector, where the facilities are located, the various phases involved in the production and then reprocessing of civil nuclear fuels and how this activity is supervised.

Sheet n° 6, "Radiological emergency situations", presents the various situations which could lead to a release of radioactive substances, the main parties involved in managing them and the various measures that exist in France to protect the population in the event of a nuclear accident.

• Brochures presenting the supervision of EDF nuclear power plants

In 2005, the ASN issued a brochure to about 500,000 households near nuclear power plants, presenting the organisation of nuclear safety and radiation protection supervision in each of the 19 nuclear power plants operated by EDF. Issue of this brochure coincided with the iodine tablets distribution campaign launched by the public authorities for those living in the vicinity of each of the 19 sites concerned.