1/15/2002
Press release
15 February 2002 - The Regional Department of Industry, Research and the Environment for the Basse Normandie region (DRIRE) released the results of sampling and analysis performed on 24-25 September 2001 by the French nuclear regulatory authority in association with the Office of Radiation Protection (OPRI).
The sampling focused on sediments at the extreme end of the discharge pipe. It is part of a monitoring program set up for the sea discharge pipe from the COGEMA La Hague plant following a 1997 incident rated Level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). As OPRI noted in its report, the results of analysis are consistent with COGEMA data from numerous environmental sampling/analysis campaigns.
OPRI also indicated that "although traces of radioactivity from the accidental release of scale in the 1997 incident can still be detected, they have decayed significantly."The frequency of sampling and analysis at the pipe outlet may therefore be reduced to once a year, in OPRI's view.
The DRIRE press release (in french) is available at http://www.asn.gouv.fr/
The sampling focused on sediments at the extreme end of the discharge pipe. It is part of a monitoring program set up for the sea discharge pipe from the COGEMA La Hague plant following a 1997 incident rated Level 0 on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). As OPRI noted in its report, the results of analysis are consistent with COGEMA data from numerous environmental sampling/analysis campaigns.
OPRI also indicated that "although traces of radioactivity from the accidental release of scale in the 1997 incident can still be detected, they have decayed significantly."The frequency of sampling and analysis at the pipe outlet may therefore be reduced to once a year, in OPRI's view.
The DRIRE press release (in french) is available at http://www.asn.gouv.fr/