For the specific implementation of radioactive substances, the process to evaluate the effects on populations’ health includes:

• inventory of the radioactive substances implemented;
• description of their intrinsic adverse effects (type of ionising radiation emitted, radioactive half-life, radio-toxicological data, biological half-life) and associated modes of exposure or environment contamination pathways;
• identification of potentially affected populations: extent of the impact area, existence of sensitive populations (children), special local uses (example: existence of vegetable gardens);
• quantitative evaluation of the population’s exposure to direct irradiation, direct contamination or via the food chain;
• characterisation of the health hazard (comparison with regulatory limits for the general public, defined in article R 1333-8 of the public health code).

Legislation

Environmental code: articles L511-1, L211-1 and R512-6