Radioprotection

Abstract

The growing number of human activities based on ionising radiation, along with the demonstration of its effects on the human body, has led to the creation of a radiation protection system. This system is based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Its purpose is to provide a framework for the use of ionising radiation, exclude deterministic effects and restrict stochastic ones. The French regulations follow these recommendations quite closely, via the EURATOM European Directives. The French system constitutes a coherent whole, relevant to the general population, patients and workers, in both normal situations and those involving exceptional exposure or radiological emergencies. It lays down a strict framework for such practices, which makes the implementation of an effective risk control strategy easier. Within this radiation protection organisation, IRSN (the French institute for radiological protection and nuclear safety) supplies expertise, while DGNSR (the French general department for nuclear safety and radiation protection) is in charge of technical and regulatory radiation protection monitoring.