2. Radiological impacts from nuclear industrial facilities on the public and the environment : Their magnitude and the next 50 years forecast
Sylvain Saint-Pierre
Manager, Radiation Protection, COGEMA
Obninsk – July 1, 2004

3. Presentation Outline 2. Basic radiological protection knowledge
1. Potential environmental indicators for the significance of radiological impacts
2. Basic radiological protection knowledge
3. Public radiation doses
4. Industry perspective on the radiological protection of animals and plants
5. The next 50 years forecast – radiological impacts
6. Conclusions

4. 1. Potential environmental impact indicators
Environmental impact is an essential factor for assessing sustainable energy sources
The 3 potential environmental indicators for the significance of radiological impacts are:
Radioactive effluent discharges
Environmental radioactive concentrations
Radiation doses to the public

5. 1. Potential environmental impact indicators
Indicator coverage for the key factors influencing the impacts
Legend :
Discharges: I-1
Concentrations: I-2
Radiation doses to the public: I-3

6. 1. Potential environmental impact indicators
Radiation doses to public
The only integrated indicator that fully account for the key factors influencing the impacts
Estimated by calculations using discharge data, environmental transfer models, and exposure scenarios for the individuals
Dose per individual - from the most exposed group of “real” individuals

7. 2. Basic RP knowledge Human health risk from ionizing radiation
The “mSv” is a unit that expresses both the amount of exposure received and its potential damage to human health
High doses >  100 mSv
Risk of detrimental health effects has been conclusively demonstrated

8. 2. Basic RP knowledge A few mSv/y < Low doses <  100 mSv
For dose < 100 mSv, the risk of detrimental health effects is a theoretical assumption
Leading authoritative RP bodies simply & prudently extrapolated the risk downwards from high doses
They indicated that it is the part of the slope that begins at a few mSv/y that is relevant

9. Human Health Risk from Ionizing Radiation (Dose-Effect Relationship)
2. Basic RP knowledge
Human Health Risk from Ionizing Radiation
(Dose-Effect Relationship)

10. 2. Basic RP knowledge General approach to RP
For low doses, the dose-effect relationship
The public dose limit per individual (1 mSv/y)
Doses should be As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) below the dose limit

11. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Common values (per individual)
Worldwide average value is 2-3 mSv/y: mostly…
2.4 mSv/y: natural background radiation
typically ranges from 1 to 10 mSv/y
0.4 mSv/y: medical x-ray examinations
Others: e.g.,
A transatlantic flight (N. America–Europe) is  0.04 mSv

12. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Typical values (per individual) for nuclear industrial sites
From gaseous & liquid radioactive discharges
For most exposed group of individuals
Nuclear fuel cycle sites
 to 0.1 mSv/y
Nuclear reactors
 to 0.01 mSv/y

13. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Common Values and Typical Nuclear Industrial Site Values
(the very bottom part of previous human health risk dose-effect relationship)
Only off-site impacts from gaseous and liquid radioactive discharges on critical group individuals.
There are notable exceptions not shown.

14. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Typical public doses from nuclear industrial sites
Very small and well below:
the dose limit (1 mSv/y)
Approaching 100 mSv over lifetime is virtually impossible
the dose from natural background radiation and its normal variation (1-10 mSv/y)

15. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Typical public doses from nuclear industrial sites
Even below doses received from a single chest x-ray or from a few transatlantic flights !
Shows clearly that protection has been much more than adequate
Benefits from nuclear energy to thousands and millions of people are notably incomparable !

16. 3. Public Radiation Doses
Detailed 2002 results for the four major nuclear-cycle industrial sites of COGEMA :
Highest impact mSv/y at one site
Driven by off-site external radiation from the inventories of radioactive materials stored at the perimeter of one site
2nd highest impact – 0.05 mSv/y at another site
Driven by gaseous releases
Impacts at the two remaining sites
Less than about 0.01 mSv/y

17. 4. Industry Perspective on RP of Animals/Plants
An emerging topic internationally
General recognition that the current RP system has in practice provided adequate protection :
humans and the environment
Is this surprising ?

18. 4. Industry Perspective on RP of Animals/Plants
…Is the adequate protection provided surprising ?
Not at all as the industry includes :
Which have been rigorously implemented at every nuclear facility
Well proven, large scale, hi-tech industrial processes
Suitable pollution control equipment
Suitable environmental surveillance

19. 4. Industry Perspective on RP of Animals/Plants
Key end result from the current RP system applied to people
Concentrations into the environment are very small and well below those indicative of potential harm to animal/plant populations
This is true even for sites with the most significant historical discharges

20. 4. Industry Perspective on RP of Animals/Plants
Consensus to fill, for completeness, the “conceptual gap” in the current RP system :
Where human being is absent, and
for exceptions – e.g. sites with the highest impacts in particular local settings liable to accumulate radionuclides
The “conceptual gap” mostly relate to a finer demonstration of protection

21. 4. Industry Perspective on RP of Animals/Plants
Industry welcomes the international leadership to modestly further develop the current RP system (fill the gap)
Provided that the system stays simple and is practical of use

22. 5. The next 50 years forecast - in terms of radiological impacts
Normal operations
Public doses will continue to be very small
Effluent controls will continue to improve though at a lower rate than in the past decades as the rationale for this decreases

23. 5. The next 50 years forecast - in terms of radiological impacts
Incidents
Extremely rare and steady improvements in the safety of containment of radioactive materials are expected
Reduce the potential occurrence of significant loss of containment incidents and of potential severity of the related public doses

24. 5. The next 50 years forecast - in terms of radiological impacts
Incidents
Two areas of improvements for new reactors are associated with:
Reduction of core melt down probability
Improved mitigation measures (or provisions) for severe accidents as well as improved reactor containment capability - increased protection against :
external (e.g. man-made aggressions) risks
internal (e.g. fire) risks

25. 6. Conclusions
Industry track record clearly indicates that radiation doses to the public are very low
Both the public and the environment have been adequately protected
Objectively, there is strong case for much favourably considering “nuclear energy” as a clean large-scale source of sustainable energy

26. 6. Conclusions
A finer demonstration of the protection for animals and plants – may be useful as a complement provided that :
the RP system stays simple and is practical of use
does not impose a disproportionate burden on the peaceful use of nuclear energy

27. 6. Conclusions
The next 50 years forecast - in terms of radiological impacts
Normal operations
Business as usual - Effluent controls will continue to improve though at a lower rate as the rationale for this decreases
Incidents
Extremely rare, steady improvements in the safety of containment of radioactive materials are expected