The System of Radiological Protection: Is it fit for purpose?

Transcription

1 The System of Radiological Protection: Is it fit for purpose? Jacques Repussard Director General IRSN

2 contents The international RP system has achieved major results However, new challenges must be overcome to meet rising societal concerns New scientific approaches are needed for this purpose Concluding remarks ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

3 The long lasting wisdom of RP fundamental principles Justification Optimisation Limitation ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

4 Justification Competent authorities are responsible for assessing the justification of a given nuclear activity / practice Social, technical and economical considerations This is the role of TSO such as IRSN to advise on technical issues (e.g.: backscatter X-ray body scanners, neutron interrogation ) ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

5 Optimisation in occupational activities Number of workers Mean personal dose Year 1996: Year 2010: 0.52 msv 0.19 msv Collective dose (m.sv) Trend in occupational exposure in France ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

6 (non)optimisation in medical applications: the case of thyroid scintigraphy in FRANCE LEGENDE minimum moyenne maximum Moyenne g ale ( ) Moyenne g ale ( ) NRD Recommandations SFMN Activité administrée (MBq) ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

7 Dose limitation Operators efforts following adoption of ICRP IRSN/ ASN actions Workers with annual external dose > 20 msv (France) ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

8 New challenges appear Low dose / low dose rate chronic exposure issues are becoming a significant societal concern, with often misgiven perceptions of risk by members of the public These concerns can severely impair the functionning of society following accidental environmental radioactive contamination (chronic internal exposure situations) Questions on individual (in)equity could also become prominent The extent of non cancer effects domain at low dose /low dose rate exposure is questionned ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

9 Low Perception dose risk du perception Risque en France in France % answers : Very high or high risk 60 % 40 % 30 % Mean exposure of the public in France TOTAL DOSE = 3.7 msv/year 50 % 40 % 20 % 30 % 10 % 20 % 10 % Radon Natural radiation Medical Exposure Nuclear power plants Chernobyl Wastes ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20 9

10 (in)equity 1 % par rapport au total 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% ,96 0, , , ,05 Other Autres (hors recherche) Research area Recherche Non-nuclear industry Industrie non nucléaire Nuclear Nuc léaire Medical Activités médicales et vétérinaires 0% Effec Number tifs surveillés of workers Dose collective (homme.sv) dose (man.sv) Workers monitored in France in the different domains of activities ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

11 (in)equity 2: individual sensitivity: a potentially sensitive societal issue Radiation protection of professionals Multiple medical radio-diagnostics Interventional radiology Radiotherapy Gender, age, ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

12 Non cancer effects as dose goes down? Radiation-Induced Cancers Hiroshima -Nagasaki EPIDEMIOLOGY RADIOPATHOLOGY ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURES High Doses Severity Non-Cancer Effects domain extent? Vascular, cognitive, lens opacity,.. 1 msv 100 msv 500 msv 2500 msv DOSE ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

13 How to address these challenges? Selfstanding epidemiological studies, even with very large good quality cohorts, are reaching their limits when addressing low dose /low dose rate exposure effects (cancer and non-cancer) Uncertainties also affect existing ICRP models, which are difficult if not impossible to overcome in the domain of low dose rate chronic exposures new scientific strategies are required ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

14 Towards multinational multidisciplinary multidimensional research on low dose effects Availability of costly experimental infrastructures Developing a strategic research agenda and co-operating for its implementation Associating all needed disciplines, to take advantage of the huge progress made in physics, biology and medecine over recent years Building international consensus on future paradigms for radiation protection for low dose rate chronic exposure ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

15 Availability of advanced experimental infrastructures Microbeams and microdosimetry Chronic exposure animal facilities Advanced clinical research (heavy ions, etc ) «Omics» facilities Stem cell research Specilialised cohorts and tissue banks ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

16 A strategic research agenda for the EU, a multidisciplinary scientific approach The European MELODI initiative Rome (Italy) Workshop 2 / 4 November DoReMi European «Network of Excellence» STAR NoE and «The Alliance»: new European scientific approaches to environmental radiation protection issues ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

17 Towards complementary paradigms for RP at low dose rates? Radiation-Induced Cancers Radiobiology: Understanding how stress resistance mechanisms cope with IR chronic exposure Hiroshima -Nagasaki EPIDEMIOLOGY Non-Cancer Effects RADIOPATHOLOGY ACCIDENTAL EXPOSURES High Doses Severity 1 msv 100 msv 500 msv 2500 msv DOSE Stress response IR related chronic stress ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

18 Concluding remarks The low dose /low dose rate radiation protection issues are key for the future of nuclear industry in advanced societies. They are equaly important for the optimal development of radiodiagnostic, radiological interventions and radiotherapy. Low dose rate R&D will be expensive, will need to attract the best teams worldwide, and to keep an open mind. But the rewards are likely to be huge. Useable R&D results on these issues will not be available for some years, but the ICRP scientific expert community can help make it happen in an optimal way. More at the ICRP / IRSN seminar, Paris 2012 ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20

19 Thank you for your attention More on ICRP Meeting Bethesda 24 Oct /20