3.2.2 Exposure of the population to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials Exposure due to natural radioactivity in drinking water The results of the monitoring of the radiological quality of the tap water distributed to consumers carried out by the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) between 2008 and 2009 (DGS/ASN/IRSN report published in 2011) showed that 99.83% of the population receives tap water whose quality complies at all times with the total indicative dose of 0.1 mSv/year set by the regulations. This generally satisfactory assessment also applies to the radiological quality of bottled water produced in France (DGS/ASN/IRSN report published in 2013). Since 2019, measurement of the radon content of tap water and bottled water has been compulsory. To assist the introduction of this new provision, an instruction was drawn up in consultation with ASN and issued in 2018 to the ARS by the General Directorate for Health (DGS) (ASN opinion 2018‑AV‑0302 of 6 March 2018 on radon management procedures in the sanitary control of water intended for human consumption). Exposure due to radon In France, the regulations relative to management of the radon risk, put in place in the early 2000’s for certain Public Access Buildings (PAB), were extended to certain workplaces in 2008. In 2016, radon was introduced into the indoor air quality policy. Transposition of Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down Basic Safety Standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation led to the amending of the provisions applicable to radon since 1 July 2018. A reference level of 300 Bq/m3 has been introduced. It is applicable to all situations, which enables the health risk associated with radon to be managed with an allinclusive approach. The regulations have been extended with provisions concerning the three main sectors: ∙ With regard to the general public, a significant improvement has been introduced: radon is now included in the information to be provided to buyers and tenants of real estate situated in areas where the radon potential could be the highest. ∙ In workplaces, the regulations have been extended to cover professional activities exercised on ground floor levels (only activities carried out in basements were concerned until now) and in certain specific workplaces. Whatever the radon potential zone in which the workplace is situated, radon must be considered in the risk assessment. A radon measurement can be carried out in this context if necessary. If there is a risk of reaching or exceeding the reference level of 300 Bq/m3, the employer must take action to reduce the radon activity concentration. If the action turns out to be ineffective, the employer must identify potential “radon zones” and then implement radiation protection measures, if necessary according to the level of exposure of the workers. ∙ In some PABs, the radon management methods have been adjusted, more specifically with the inclusion of day-care facilities for children under 6 years of age and an obligation to inform the public by displaying the radon measurement results(8). The type of action to be taken if the reference level of 300 Bq/m3 is exceeded is graded according to the measurement results: simple corrective actions for radon concentrations between 300 and 1,000 Bq/m3, expert assessment and remediation work if the corrective actions do not reduce the radon concentration to below the reference level or if the measurement results equal 1,000 Bq/m3 or higher. 8. Order of 26 February 2019 relative to the methods of managing radon in certain buildings open to the public and dissemination of information to the people frequenting these buildings. The results communicated by the ASN-accredited organisations for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 campaigns show that the majority of the screenings were carried out in educational institutions and healthcare and medical-social institutions (55% and 26% of screenings respectively). Day-care facilities for children aged under 6 years, which constitute a new category of PAB subject to management of the radon risk, represent 12% of the measurements taken during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 campaigns. The radon activity concentration is lower than the reference level of 300 Bq/m3 in 75% of educational institutions and 90% of the day-care facilities for children aged under 6 years and 87% of healthcare and medical-social institutions screened. The data collected in 467 PABs show that the corrective actions or works to reduce the radon concentration have lowered the concentration to below 300 Bq/m3 in only 40% of these buildings. Consequently, “simple” corrective actions aiming to improve the sealing of a building or renew the air in the premises are not always sufficient. Furthermore, having a professional expert assessment of the building and, if necessary, complementary investigations by an ASN-approved organisation, prove to be essential steps to determine the remediation work to be undertaken. More generally, the management strategy for the radon risk is set out in a national action plan. Implementation of this plan will improve the way the general public and the stakeholders concerned are informed and will enhance knowledge of radon exposure in the home and how it evolves. The fourth French national plan for the 2020-2024 period was published in early 2021. It fits into the framework of the fourth National Health and Environment Plan which now coordinates all the sector-based plans concerning health or the environment, which is itself driven by the National Public Health Strategy 2018‑2022, of which one action aims to reduce exposure to interior pollution. This action explicitly targets the effects of radon in the home: “over and beyond the sanitary aspects, it is question of promoting a living environment that fosters health and of reducing the effects of exposure in the home (chemical pollution, radon, etc.)”. This plan follows on from the preceding plans (the assessment of the third plan is available on asn.fr). It can be broken down into 13 actions focusing on three lines. Line 1 aims to implement an information and awarenessraising strategy. The health issue that radon represents requires continuation of the awareness-raising and information measures directed towards all the players (regional authorities, employers, building professionals, health professionals, teachers, etc.) and the general public, both nationally and locally, with the promotion and accompanying of regional measures for the integrated management of the radon risk in the home. A specific communication campaign shall target smokers, because they constitute the population the most at risk of developing lung cancer linked to cumulative exposure to radon and tobacco. The operational implementation of the information system incorporating all the radon monitoring results, as well as the consolidation and centralising of the existing measures, would appear moreover to be essential for informing the public. Line 2 aims to continue to improve knowledge. The publication in 2018 of a new map on the municipal scale, based on three radon potential zones, enabled a graded approach to radon risk management to be implemented. This map must nevertheless 112 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2021 01 – NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES: IONISING RADIATION AND HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
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