168 / 536
•
Owing to his or her role in the local community, the
mayor has an important part to play in anticipating
and supporting themeasures to protect the population.
To this end, the mayor of a town included within the
scope of application of an Off-site Emergency Plan
(PPI) must draw up and implement a local safeguard
plan to provide for, organise and structure themeasures
to accompany the Prefect’s decisions. The mayor also
plays a role in passing on information and heightening
population awareness during iodine tablet distribution
campaigns.
1.3.2 National response organisation
In the event of a severe accident, an Interministerial
Crisis Committee (CIC) is set up. The relevant Ministries
concerned, together with ASN, work together to advise
both the Prefect at the local level and the Government,
via
the CIC, on the protective measures to be taken.
They provide the information and advice necessary
to assess the state of the facility, the seriousness of the
incident or accident, its possible developments, and
the measures required to protect the general public
and the environment.
The Prime Minister, who is in charge of managing any
major crisis, activates the CIC. The main participants
liable to be convened within the CIC, are as follows:
•
the Prime Minister, at the situation briefings, with
the support of the SGDSN responsible for ensuring
the interministerial consistency of the planned
measures in the event of an accident, and for the
planning and assessment of exercises. Its role is to
coordinate governmental action in radiological or
nuclear emergency situations;
•
the Ministry for the Interior;
•
the Ministry for Health;
•
the Ministry for the Environment;
•
the Ministry in charge of foreign affairs;
•
theMinistry for Defence through the Defence Nuclear
Safety Authority (ASND), which is the Competent
Authority for regulating the safety of secret BNIs,Military
Nuclear Systems (SNM) and defence-related transport
operations. A protocol was signed by ASN and the
ASND on 26th October 2009 to ensure coordination
between these two entities in the event of an accident
affecting an activity under the supervision of the ASND
and to facilitate the transition from the emergency phase
managed by the ASND to the post-accident phase for
which ASN is competent (this protocol is currently
being revised);
•
ASN, for management of radiological emergency
situations. Its duties are detailed in point 2.1.1.
Other Ministries and administrations or establishments
involved (such as IRSN,
Météo-France),
and the heads of
the national nuclear licensees concerned (for example
EDF, CEA or Areva) may be summoned as applicable.
IRSN and
Météo-France
act as public expert appraisal
organisations in a nuclear emergency situation.
1.4 Preparing for public protection
measures
The steps toprotect thepopulations that canbe takenduring
the emergency phase, as well as the initial actions as part
of the post-accident phase, aim to protect the population
from exposure to ionising radiation and to any chemical
and toxic substances that may be present in the releases.
These actions are included in the PPI.
1.4.1 General protective actions
In the event of a severe accident, liable to lead to releases,
a number of preventivemeasures can be envisaged by the
Prefect in order to protect the general public:
•
shelteringand listening: the individuals concerned, alerted
by a siren, take shelter at home or in a building, with
all openings carefully closed, and wait for instructions
from the Prefect broadcast by radio;
•
administrationof stable iodine tablets: whenorderedby
the Prefect, the individuals liable tobe exposed to releases
of radioactive iodine are urged to take the prescribed
dose of potassium iodide tablets;
•
evacuation: in the event of an imminent riskof large-scale
radioactive releases, the Prefect may order evacuation.
The populations concerned are asked toprepare a bag of
essential personal effects, secure and leave their homes
and go to the nearest assembly point.
If radioactive substances are actually released into the
environment, steps to prepare for management of the
post-accident phase are decided on: they are based on
the definitionof area zoning to be implementedon exiting
the emergency phase and include:
•
a Population Protection Zone (ZPP) within which
action is required to reduce both the exposure of the
populations toambient radioactivityand the consumption
of contaminated food, to a level that is as lowas reasonably
achievable;
•
aHeightenedTerritorial Surveillance Zone (ZST), which
is larger and which is more concerned with economic
management, within which specific surveillance of
foodstuffs and agricultural produce will be set up;
•
if necessary, an evacuation perimeter is created within
the ZPP, defined according to the ambient radioactivity
(external exposure). The residents must be evacuated
for a varying length of time depending on the level of
exposure in their environment.
1.4.2 Iodine tablets
Administering stable iodine tablets is ameans of saturating
the thyroid gland and protecting against the carcinogenic
effects of radioactive iodines.
The Circular of 27th May 2009 defines the principles
governing the respective responsibilities of a BNI licensee
and of the State with regard to the distribution of iodine
168
CHAPTER 05:
RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015