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29/01/2007
Fewer workers are being exposed to ionising radiation in France, reports a study by the radiation protection and nuclear safety institute IRSN. The big “but”, however, is that there is no improvement in non-nuclear research and industries using radioactive sources.
The IRSN’s 2006 survey reports “a positive trend” – exposures have been falling steadily since the 1990s, especially in the nuclear industry (where the collective dose halved between 1996 and 2005) and medical sector. “On the other hand”, caveats the study, “collective doses have stayed substantially unchanged for a decade in the non-nuclear industry”.
In 2006, eight non-nuclear industry workers were exposed to doses above 20 millisievert (mSv), and three received a dose above 50 mSv. French rules set the legal limit at 20 mSv a year. However, the study reveals that while the incidence of exposure among research workers is high, the exposure is to very low doses.
”Excess doses in industry are often due to one-off incidents or carelessness”, explains Alain Rannou, head of the IRSN’s radiation protection research and expertise department. “Big efforts have been made to protect against radiation in the nuclear industry and medical sector. But, in some non-nuclear industries, the same doses are still being received as ten years ago because the risk is not taken seriously. Not everywhere has a proper culture of radiation protection”, argues Rannou.
Source: Journal de l’environnement
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