[en] After the extension of the French cohort of uranium miners with the inclusion of workers employed in the Jouac mines, this article seeks to describe the new Jouac cohort and to estimate mortality risks, as well as to quantify their relation to radon exposure in this extended cohort. The Jouac cohort includes 458 miners hired by the Société des Mines de Jouac between 1957 and 2001. There is no measurement of radon exposure before 1978 and so no data were available. Consequently, only the post-1977 Jouac cohort (n = 314) has been included in the French cohort, creating an extended cohort of 5400 French uranium miners followed up from 1946 to 2007. Mortality analyses computed the standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). Excess relative risks (ERRs) were assessed using Poisson regression models. No evidence of a significant excess risk of overall mortality (n = 66, SMR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.72–1.19) or any specific mortality was observed in the Jouac cohort. In the extended cohort, overall mortality did not increase, but a significant excess of deaths was observed for all cancers (SMR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.03–1.19), lung cancer (SMR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.14–1.51), and kidney cancer (SMR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.01–2.35). Cumulative exposure to radon was 3.9 working level month (WLM) and 35.1 WLM in the post-1977 Jouac and extended cohorts, respectively. Cumulative radon exposure was significantly associated with an excess risk of death from lung cancer (ERR/100 WLM = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.32–1.33) and from cerebrovascular diseases (ERR/100 WLM = 0.42 95% CI = 0.04–1.04). In conclusion, the Jouac cohort is still a young cohort and its inclusion leads to slight modifications compared to previous analyses of the French cohort. The already known relation between radon exposure and lung cancer death as well as the excess risk of death from cerebrovascular diseases persisted in the extended cohort. (paper)

[en] The investigation of potential adverse health effects of occupational exposures to ionizing radiation, on uranium miners, is an important area of research. Radon is a well-known carcinogen for lung, but the link between radiation exposure and other diseases remains controversial, particularly for kidney cancer. The aims of this study were therefore to perform external kidney cancer mortality analyses and to assess the relationship between occupational radiation exposure and kidney cancer mortality, using competing risks methodology, from two uranium miners cohorts. The French (n = 3,377) and German (n = 58,986) cohorts of uranium miners included 11 and 174 deaths from kidney cancer. For each cohort, the excess of kidney cancer mortality has been assessed by standardized mortality ratio (SMR) corrected for the probability of known causes of death. The associations between cumulative occupational radiation exposures (radon, external gamma radiation and long-lived radionuclides) or kidney equivalent doses and both the cause-specific hazard and the probability of occurrence of kidney cancer death have been estimated with Cox and Fine and Gray models adjusted to date of birth and considering the attained age as the timescale. No significant excess of kidney cancer mortality has been observed neither in the French cohort (SMR = 1.49, 95 % confidence interval [0.73; 2.67]) nor in the German cohort (SMR = 0.91 [0.77; 1.06]). Moreover, no significant association between kidney cancer mortality and any type of occupational radiation exposure or kidney equivalent dose has been observed. Future analyses based on further follow-up updates and/or large pooled cohorts should allow us to confirm or not the absence of association. (orig.)

[en] Ionizing radiation use for medical diagnostic purposes has substantially increased over the last three decades. Moderate to high doses of radiation are well established causes of cancer, especially for exposure at young ages. However, cancer risk from low-dose medical imaging is debated. To review the literature on cancer risks associated with prenatal and postnatal medical diagnostic ionizing radiation exposure among children and to assess this risk through a meta-analysis. A literature search of five electronic databases supplemented by a hand search was performed to retrieve relevant epidemiological studies published from 2000 to 2019, including patients younger than 22 years of age exposed to medical imaging ionizing radiation. Pooled odds ratio (OR${}_{pooled}$) and pooled excess relative risk (ERR${}_{pooled}$) representing the excess of risk per unit of organ dose were estimated with a random effect model. Twenty-four studies were included. For prenatal exposure (radiographs or CT), no significant increased risk was reported for all cancers, leukemia and brain tumors. For postnatal exposure, increased risk was observed only for CT, mostly for leukemia (ERR${}_{pooled}$=26.9 Gy${}^{\text{â<!-- ?? -->}\text{ˆ<!-- ?? -->}\text{’<!-- ??? -->}1}$; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7–57.1) and brain tumors (ERR${}_{pooled}$=9.1 Gy${}^{\text{â<!-- ?? -->}\text{ˆ<!-- ?? -->}\text{’<!-- ??? -->}1}$; 95% CI: 5.2–13.1). CT exposure in childhood appears to be associated with increased risk of cancer while no significant association was observed with diagnostic radiographs.

[en] The French Society of Radiation Protection (SFRP) celebrated its 50 anniversary at the occasion of the 10. national radiation protection (RP) congress. This document brings together the abstracts of the different talks given at the congress. A - Invited talks: A1 - Forward through the rearview mirror: Reflections on ICRP Past and Future (C. COUSINS); A3 - Origin and evolution of the intervening parties involvement approach in RP (J. LOCHARD); A4 - Knowledge influence and biological uncertainties on RP evolution (R. MASSE); A5 - RP history in nuclear industry: EDF an anticipation example (L. STRICKER); B - Tutorial presentations: B1 - Environment RP: towards its explicit integration in French law? (K. BEAUGELIN-SEILLER, J. GARNIER-LAPLACE); B2 - Scanner exposure in child and radio-induced risk: recent epidemiological results (M.O. BERNIER); B3 - Ionizing radiations professional exposure dose measurement: goals and evolutions (A. BIAU, J.M. BORDY); B4 - Workers RP at dismantling sites (B. BOUSSETTA, L. VAILLANT); B5 - Environment RP (part 2): EDF's methodology and experience feedback (C. BOYER, G. GONTIER, P.Y. HEMIDY); B6 - Revision of SCENIHR's 2009 opinion about the potential health impact of electromagnetic fields, from the 2011 European inaugural meeting to its 2015 publication (P. HARTEMANN); B8 - Advances in low dose epidemiological knowledge (D. LAURIER); B9 - Use of ionizing radiations at the operating theatre: what RP issues? (P. MENECHAL, S. MOUGNIOT); Session 1: RP regulations and standards, RP and society (6 presentations); Session 2: effects of Ionizing radiations on men and ecosystems (6 presentations); Session 3: patients RP (7 presentations); Session 4: Populations and ecosystems RP (4 presentations); Session 5: Occupational RP - Industry (8 presentations); Session 6: non-ionizing radiations (5 presentations); Session 7: Occupational RP - Medical (6 presentations); Session 8: Advances in dosimetry and metrology (4 presentations)

[en] The use of ionising radiation (IR) for medical diagnosis and treatment procedures has had a major impact on the survival of paediatric patients. Although the benefits of these techniques largely outweigh the risks, the evidence to date suggests that children are more sensitive than adults to the carcinogenic effects of IR. Therefore, there is a need to better understand the long-term health effects of such exposures in order to optimise treatment in these young patients and reduce the risk of late toxicities. HARMONIC aims to improve our understanding of the health effects of exposure to medical IR in children, specifically cancer patients treated with modern radiotherapy techniques, and cardiac patients treated with cardiac fluoroscopy procedures (CFP). HARMONIC also develops dosimetric data collection software tools to allow dose reconstruction in both CFP and radiotherapy. The project builds on a multi-disciplinary collaboration to investigate long-term outcomes (endocrine dysfunction, cardiovascular and neurovascular damage, quality of life (QoL) and social impacts, and secondary cancers) of paediatric cancer patients after the application of modern radiotherapy modalities. Instruments for harmonised demographic, clinical and dosimetric data collection were defined serving as a pilot phase for a future pan-European registry. The cardiac component of HARMONIC builds a pooled cohort of approximately 100,000 patients who underwent CFP in 7 countries, while aged under 22 years. The cohort, based on data collection from hospital records and/or insurance claims data, will be followed-up using national registries and insurance records to determine vital status and cancer incidence. Where available, information on organ transplantation (a major risk factor for cancer development in this patient group) and/or other conditions predisposing to cancer will be obtained from national or local registries and health insurance data. The relationship between estimated radiation dose and cancer risk will be investigated using regression modelling. With its prospective design and the creation of a biobank for the collection of biological samples, HARMONIC also aims at providing a mechanistic understanding of radiation-induced adverse health effects and identify potential biomarkers indicative of vascular adverse effects and secondary cancer. These biomarkers could ultimately contribute to early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of adverse effects. (authors)

[en] This 6. ALARA conference was jointly organised by the French Society of Radiation Protection (SFRP) and several professional associations (ABR, AFPPE, ARRAD, ATSR, RAMIP, SFPM, SFR). The conference was the occasion to review all aspects relative to the issues of radioprotection optimization and to its implementation to workers, patients and the public in the nuclear, industrial and medical domains. A particular attention must be given to the application of the ALARA principle in all sectors relevant to radioprotection, especially in a context characterized by: big dismantling works under preparation in the French nuclear park, an increased use of X-radiation in the medical domain - involving both patients and medical personnel, new knowledge concerning the health effects of ionizing radiations, and an evolution of European and international radioprotection safety standards. All these aspects were discussed during these conference days. This document brings together the available presentations (slides) together with their corresponding abstracts (in French) and dealing with: 1 - Review of the evolution of workers/patients exposure in France and comparison with international data (E. Vial); 2 - Status of low dose epidemiology (M.O. Bernier); 3 - Radioprotection optimization method at the MELOX plant (A. De Vita); 4 - Elaboration method for the annual dosimetric objective of the French nuclear park (C. Pignot); 5 - Optimisation principle in the new EURATOM Directive (N. Saad); 6 - Integrated management of radiological and non-radiological risks: the inevitable challenge (P. Deboodt); 7 - Radiological and conventional risks: the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) integrated approach (S. Faure); 8 - EVEREST (Evolving towards an entry into controlled areas in street clothes, M. Alvarez); 9 - Example of multi-risk management in the medical domain (C. Tourneux); 10 - Radioprotection optimisation in the research domain (P. Barbey); 11 - Child scanning dosimetry optimization at our cancer centre (R. Buchianec); 12 - Radioprotection optimisation during the fire detection renovation of a storage building (S. Ponsard); 13 - Supervisor position for risk prevention (S. Marques); 14 - Use of experience feedback to improve radioprotection optimisation in the medical sector (M. Moukarzel); 15 - Involvement of a medical physicist in radiology and nuclear medicine: the Swiss experience after 18 months of optimisation practice (F. Verdun); 16 - Application of ALARA method for the design of a medical department (S. Balduyck); 17 - ALARA implementation at the design stage of cyclotrons (C. Bouvy); 18 - ALARA at the design and post-incident stages (L. Davet); 19 - Radioprotection during the design and realisation of the Fessenheim NPP raft (P. Carlier); 20 - Serious games as pedagogical tools for radioprotection training (P. Livolsi); 21 - Continued professional development and Radioprotection? (H. Ducou Le Pointe); 22 - New training reference requirements in the domain of patients radioprotection (Y. Le Faou); 23 - Digital radioprotection workshop (CERNUM) at the Civaux site (E. Courageot); 24 - Presentation of the SIBAG simulator for glovebox work training (N. Lantheaume); 25 - Operating block: the radioprotection dunce? (D. Schiedts); 26 - Optimization in dismantling: three facilities, three different ways? (P. Deboodt); 27 - Cold cutting confining processes (P. Nouveau, B. Walterscheid); 28 - ALARA approach for long lasting works - The Chinon A3 example (E. Humbert); 29 - Dosimetric optimization and professional activity management (P. Tranchant); 30 - CADOR: application to the installation of biological protections during plant shutdown (F. Renard); 31 - Do you apply ALARA? Organisation of an ALARA benchmark at Forsmark and Ringhals NPPs (Sweden) (S. Andresz); 32 - Diagnostic reference levels as optimisation tool (P. Roch); 33 - Optimisation in pediatrics scanning: new tools contribution (A. Bouette); 34 - Elaboration of interventional radiology references for bronchi-systemic arterio-embolization (M.F. Carette); 35 - Sewer workers radiological exposure to the effluents of Nantes hospital nuclear medicine department - What degree of exposure? (P. Bechard); 36 - Evaluation of the occupational exposure of the EDF staff monitored for its exposure to ionizing radiations (E. Clero, K. Leuraud, M. Couzinet, B. Le Guen, D. Laurier); 37 - Consideration of workplace monitoring in the medical follow-up optimisation (E. Davesne, B. Quesne, A. De Vita, E. Chojnacki, E. Blanchardon, D. Franck); 38 - Non-significant radioprotection events: 2008-2014 retrospective study (E. Grandeau, N. Dumont, J. Cattelotte); 39 - Patients' eye-lens irradiation in pediatrics skull scanography: dosimetry and optimisation (P.E. Dine, J. Guersen, J.- F. Nwatsock, L. Boyer); 40 - Methodology for decontamination efficiency evaluation of the materials used for radiometer fabrication (B. Lortal, M. Karst, J. Caron); 41 - Mortality analysis in the French cohort of uranium miners: 1946-2007 review (E. Rage, S. Caer-Lorho, D. Drubay, S. Ancelet, P. Laroche, D. Laurier); 42 - Organisation of radioprotection for fire-fighters of Haute Garonne (P. Sans); 43 - Networks for radioprotection professionals and ALARA (H. Tournier); 44 - Patients radioprotection in the bed: few tricks for dose optimisation (S. Zvorykin)

[en] The objective of this workshop is to offer all professionals of the nuclear industry the opportunity to discuss specific themes such as challenges of decommissioning operations, feedbacks, tools and techniques used to ensure compliance with radiation safety requirements. This document is the book of abstracts of this event. Content: 1 - Main radiation protection options in the design of new models of EDF reactors, the EPR2 and NUWARD cases; 2 - Radiation protection studies for the implementation of the big high-luminosity hadrons collider; 3 - Elaboration of a fire emergency plan for the CERN-Medicis medical radioisotopes production lab; 4 - Cern's environmental monitoring system; 5 - Management of a piezometric park at a nuclear site, the case of Marcoule; 6 - Development of a new generation of atmospheric tritium monitor; 7 - CROME: the new ionizing radiation monitoring system for radiation and environment protection at CERN; 8 - Situation of radiation protection instrumentation standardisation in international and national authorities; 9 - Organisation of radiation protection as a pole of expertise, application at Marcoule and Cadarache CEA centres; 10 - Radiation protection of health professionals in France, exposure, knowledge and habits - EXPERTS study; 11 - Autopsy and pre-conditioning of a LHC beam absorber; 12 - Radiation protection and dosimetry monitoring of a demolition work; 13 - Demolition work of the A and B dissolvers of MAR200 installation; 14 - Materials characterization and measurement before radioactive decay storage in the framework of the dismantling of the Muehleberg NPP; 15 - Modernisation strategy for the soundness control of the UP1, AVM, IECD perimeter; 16 - Radionuclide inventory of burnable radioactive waste contaminated with artificial alpha-emitters; 17 - Presentation of the CHICADE installation; 18 - Experience feedback about spent fuel storage pools, 30 years after; 19 - Radium action plan in Switzerland; 20 - Radiological characterization of high-energy proton targets from the CERN-ISOLDE facility; 21 - Muography monitoring and control of G2/G3 reactors with Micromegas detectors; 22 - Samples from G1 dismantlement measured by digital autoradiography (MAUD); 23 - Robots for radiological characterization; 24 - Radiological mapping: use of autonomous drone swarms for recurrent monitoring and controlled areas access; 25 - Innovative tools developed by DEMBOOST for the characterization of facilities, polluted sites and civil engineering structures; 26 - ICARE - A sorting tool for activated material at CERN in the framework of the inter-sites transport; 27 - TREC - Digital transformation platform for information traceability and management about radiological equipments and radiation protection processes at CERN; 28 - Image quality and dose optimization of C-arms used in operating rooms; 29 - Medical exposure in pediatrics: French cohort of children exposed to scanners and interventional cardiology procedures; 30 - Challenges in hospital radiation protection: interventional radiology and FLASH radiotherapy; 31 - Radon metrology: experience feedback in the framework of missions of building investigations and soils activity determination prior to construction; 32 - EVOC - The Nuclear Experience; 33 - Presentation of a spectroscopy and a neutron dosimetry study carried out with a Bonner spheres system (multi-spheres system); 34 - Geo-localized radiological measurement; 35 - Design of of a safety system for accelerator personnel - Use of an automatic safety system; 36 - Fingers and eye lens dosimetry; 37 - Environmental radioactivity monitoring in Switzerland; 38 - Radiation protection training with virtual reality; 39 - Scenarios of use of radiological characterization drones in situation of radiological emergency; 40 - Radiation protection on experimental loop with short-life radiotracer injection; 41 - New RDS-32WR-iTxTM radiometer for remote supervision; 42 - Relevant parameters influencing the labile contamination and the elimination factor; 43 - Industrial radiography at CERN; 44 - Radiation protection for industrial radiography activities at CERN; 45 - Regulatory verification procedure for radiation protection devices conformable to the new regulation; 46 - Characterization of ventilation parameters linked with helium tracks radiation protection; 47 - Characterization of ventilation parameters linked with radiation protection; 48 - Innovations in contamination control and workers protection improvement; 49 - Muonic tomography