Appendices 2 and 3 of above-mentioned directive 98/83/EC should shortly be completed to clarify the radiological analyses strategy associated with TID. The document which should soon be adopted by the committee composed of representatives of the Member States created by directive 98/83/EC recommends introducing the measurement of gross alpha and beta activity indicators and the corresponding values adopted by the World Health Organisation (0.1 Bq/l and 1 Bq/l respectively), and a search for specific natural and artificial radionuclides, when one or other of these gross activity values is not met.

On this basis, the order of 12 May 2004 setting radiological quality control procedures for water intended for human consumption, implementing the above-mentioned decree of 20 December 2001, defines the new radiological monitoring programmes for public mains water and non-mineral bottled waters.

• Several European regulations (Council Regulations No 3954/87 of 22 December 1987 laying down maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination of foodstuffs and of feedstuffs following a nuclear accident or in any other case of radiological emergency, Council Regulation No 2219/89/EEC of 18 July 1989 on the special conditions for exporting foodstuffs and feedingstuffs following a nuclear accident or any other case of radiological emergency) were adopted subsequent to the Chernobyl accident, to establish the maximum allowable levels of radioactivity in contaminated foodstuffs. These levels, along with the values of the Codex alimentarius for international trade, are appended to this chapter.

At the end of 2004, as soon as it became aware of the issue, the ASN made known its opposition to the project to revise the indicative limits for radionuclides in foodstuffs applicable to international trade, as established by the FAO/WHO/IAEA1 expert group.

The ASN in particular criticised the approach taken by the expert group, which deals with the long-term consequences of an accident (or malicious act) in the same way as those resulting from authorised discharges of radioactive effluent from the installations into the environment. In environmental terms, it would seem preferable to limit and control releases at source rather than after their dilution in the environment through the food chain. During normal operation of the installations, the radiological impact of releases via foodstuffs must remain as low as possible.

Apart from in accident situations, the adoption of foodstuff contamination standards is not an effective means of limiting and controlling nuclear installation discharges, because a very slight rise in the contamination of foodstuffs would be indicative of a serious and totally unacceptable malfunction of the installations, which should in any case be detected by the alert systems.

The concerns of the French authorities were similar to those expressed by the departments of the European Commission. Through their mouthpiece, the ASN, the French authorities therefore expressed their support for the Commission's position during the meeting of the Member States of the European Union on 31 January 2005 in Brussels. During the Codex meeting at The Hague (Netherlands) from 25 to 29 April 2005, intervention by the Commission, supported in particular by France, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, enabled the process to adopt the project drafted by the FAO/WHO/IAEA expert group to be blocked. The decision was finally taken to revise the project, with the contribution of experts from the European countries which opposed its adoption. The ASN is taking part in this revision work.
1 FAO : Food and Agriculture Organisation,
  WHO : World Health Organisation,
  IAEA : International Atomic Energy Agency