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Activities involving a risk of human exposure to ionizing radiation are referred to as nuclear activities. These activities are subject to declaration, registration, or authorization under the Public Health Code with the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
In the industrial sector, these generally involve the use of X-ray generators (used notably for quality control) and the use of sealed or unsealed radioactive sources (food irradiation, gamma radiography, calibration, etc.).
Note: these activities may be regulated by other regulations, including Basic Nuclear Installations (BNI) and Classified Installations for Environmental Protection (ICPE), specifically headings 1700, 1716, 17.35, 2797, and 2798. We will not cover these regulations in this article.
Why regulation by the ASN?
The INRS explains that "The radioactivity is a natural phenomenon linked to the instability of certain atoms that make up matter. These unstable atoms (the radionuclides) emit radiation which, by interacting with matter, can ionize it, meaning it can strip one or more electrons from it. This radiation is called ionizing and can cause effects on living matter. These effects can be deterministic (short-term tissue damage) or stochastic (random, increased risk of cancer in the long term)."
The objective of the ASN regimes is to protect people and the environment from risks related to radioactivity.
Which activities are covered?
The following nuclear activities are subject to declaration, registration, or authorization, except for exemptions:
For radioactive sources and products and devices containing them:
– Manufacturing;
– Use or possession;
– Distribution, import from a third country outside the European Union, or export outside the European Union.
For all types of particle accelerators and electrical devices emitting ionizing radiation (e.g., X-ray generators):
– Manufacturing;
– Use or possession of devices in operational status or containing activated parts;
– Distribution, with the exception of the distribution of CE-marked devices used for medical applications.
What are the exemptions?
Q = weighted sum of radionuclide activities present at any given time in the location where the activity is carried out or is the subject of the activity, divided by the exemption limit value set in the second column of Table 2 of Annex 13-8.
Qm = weighted sum of mass activities of radionuclides for each homogeneous or related set present at any given time in the location where the activity is carried out or is the subject of the activity, divided by the exemption limit value set in Table 1 or the third column of Table 2 of Annex 13-8 for each of these radionuclides.
The different ASN regimes
(*) an activity may also be subject to declaration if the weighted sum of mass activity concentrations of radionuclides divided by the declaration limit value set in the fourth column of Table 2 of Annex 13-8 of the Public Health Code for each of these radionuclides is less than 1 and the activity is not exempt.
Conclusion
Furthermore, the person responsible for the nuclear activity must appoint a radiation protection advisor. This advisor assists in establishing the radiation protection organization.
The regulations related to exposure to ionizing radiation must also be taken into account: risk assessment, zoning, verifications, etc.
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