Evaluer l'impact des rejets radioactifs sur l'environnement : situation actuelle et perspectives

Titre de la revue : Contrôle Volume : 177 Pagination : 36-41 Date de publication : 01/11/2007

In recent years, the radioprotection of the environment has attracted increasing attention from scientists, regulators and the public. In agreement with a number of international bodies devoted to this specific field of radioprotection, the recent EC-funded project, ERICA, has produced an integrated tiered-approach to assess and manage environmental risk from radioactive substances and has proposed methods to derive radiation specific risk assessment benchmarks that could be used within assessments. Consistent with the ERICA tiered approach, this paper describes how to demonstrate whether the protection of ecosystems from detrimental effects on structure and function against chronic radiation exposure is ensured. Similarities with EC recommendations for performing any Ecological Risk Assessment for chemical substances are highlighted. Consequences on environmental monitoring are also discussed.