ASN Report 2017

07 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Radioactive sources, our first steps in the field of security ASN is at present contributing to finalising the regulations on source security. It will therefore be updating its resolution on the content of authorisation applications for the possession and utilisation of these sources. After an inventory conducted by the ASN regional divisions and the implementation of specialised training for staff, the first inspections in this field will take place in the second half of 2018. Improved protection of the population in the event of an accident The latest iodine tablets information and distribution campaign, which began in 2016, was completed in 2017 within the 10 km radius of the NPPs. Following the recent extension of the off-site emergency plans around the NPPs, in which this radius is increased from10 km to 20 km, an information campaign will be carried out among the local residents prior to the distribution of iodine tablets outside the 10 km radius. ASNwill support this approach alongside other local and national stakeholders. For the NPPs at the borders, particular attention will be given to coordinating steps taken by the various States concerned. Radon, new public protection measures Prolonged exposure to radon, a radioactive gas of natural origin, can lead to the risk of lung cancer. Whether in the professional sector, in public buildings or private homes, steps must be taken to reduce this exposure, particularly in priority geographical areas in which the geological characteristics amplify the exhalation of radon. The deployment of the 3rd National Plan (2016-2019) for Radon Risk Management, published by ASN in January 2017, and the new map of the municipalities considered to be high-risk, are two steps forward in ensuring better protection of the public. The home is where the dose received during the course of a lifetime is often the highest (time spent there, significant concentration in some rooms in the home). For existing homes, the plan therefore comprises new provisions concerning mandatory information of buyers and tenants, as well as the installation of measurement systems. Towards a European approach to nuclear safety and radiation protection Internationally, more specifically at the European level, ASN is heavily involved in the work done by ENSREG 1 , WENRA 2 and HERCA 3 . Within ENSREG, ASN produced a report in 2017 on the management of the ageing of the French reactors. The reports produced by the member States concerned will be reviewed in 1 . European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group. 2 . Western European Nuclear Regulators Association. 3 . Heads of the European Radiological protection Competent Authorities. 2018 by experts from the European safety regulators. Pending its decision on continued operation, ASN will pay particular attention to the conclusions of this review. At an ENSREG conference, ASN presented its own opinions on the improvement of the oversight and regulation system, in order to improve the prevention and detection of irregularities such as those detected in the Creusot Forge plant. ASN also informed its counterparts of its technical analysis of the carbon segregation anomaly in the steel used to produce large components, which could eventually lead to changes in the manufacturing codes. Within HERCA, ASN is more specifically involved in European coordination of population protection measures in the event of a nuclear accident. Editorial by the Commission