Comparative study of nuclear post-accident management doctrines in Europe and North America

Abstract

The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) issued in 2012 a first version of a doctrine establishing the principles of management of a post-accidental situation following a major nuclear accident. Since this publication, the feedback of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident continued and numerous evolutions occurred, both in French and European regulations and in international recommendations from IAEA and ICRP. This had led to further developments in the French doctrine for management of a post-accidental situation. This will result in the publication of a new version of the French doctrine next year. This evolution also prompted questioning about the existence of such doctrines in other countries, especially in neighboring countries. It appeared also interesting to evaluate the agreement of these doctrines, including the French one, with international recommendations, especially the recently published general safety requirements (GSR), part 11, from IAEA. A benchmark study comparing the different post-accidental management doctrines available was then conducted and is presented here.

La nécessaire évolution de la préparation et de la gestion post-accidentelle nucléaire / The necessary development of post-nuclear accident management preparedness

“…In this issue of Radioprotection, Bertho et al go further in preparing for a nuclear accident, a work theme carried out by the French authorities since 2005. In the article entitled "Comparative study of nuclear post-accident management doctrines in Europe and North America" they compare post-nuclear accident management doctrines in 15 European and North American countries (Bertho et al, 2022) in the context of their developments since the Fukushima accident (Nirasawa et al, 2021;Maître et al, 2020) Radioprotection…”

“…One year later, these questions remain relevant in view of the persistent difficulties in managing the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide; hence, the importance of preparation for crisis management and the necessary evolution of doctrines in a framework that allows to implement them.In this issue of Radioprotection, Bertho et al go further in preparing for a nuclear accident, a work theme carried out by the French authorities since 2005. In the article entitled "Comparative study of nuclear post-accident management doctrines in Europe and North America" they compare post-nuclear accident management doctrines in 15 European and North American countries (Bertho et al, 2022) in the context of their developments since the Fukushima accident (Nirasawa et al, 2021;Maître et al, 2020) Radioprotection…”

Complementary lessons learned from the testing strategies used for radiation emergencies and COVID-19: A white paper from The International Association of Biological and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Radiation Dosimetry (IABERD)

“…Likewise, early and rapid assessments of individuals who will need help (analogous to testing for viruses) can also help planners estimate the magnitude of the public health problem in radiation/nuclear crises; indeed, using early exposure data about individuals to project the public health response may be a key lesson from responding to COVID-19 for biodosimetry experts. Therefore there is considerable potential value in examining how experience and skills gained in one field might be of value for the other (Bertho et al, 2022;Bourguignon, 2022).…”

Vers de nouvelles recommandations en radioprotection : la CIPR en marche / Towards new recommendations in radiological protection: ICRP on the move

“…Les expositions existantes à la suite d'un accident nucléaire ont été abordées à travers l'étude de référence des doctrines de gestion post-accidentelle nucléaire (Bertho et al, 2022), l'utilisation de drones pour la surveillance de l'environnement (Bednář et al, 2021) et l'efficacité des mesures de protection radiologique après l'accident de Fukushima (Nirasawa et al, 2021;Schneider et al, 2021).…”

“…Existing exposures following a nuclear accident were addressed through several studies including the benchmark study of nuclear accident post-accidental management doctrines (Bertho et al, 2022), the use of drones for environmental monitoring (Bednář et al, 2021) and effective radiological protection measures after the Fukushima accident (Nirasawa et al, 2021;Schneider et al, 2021).…”