Section 1: General principles

The provisions of this chapter apply to 1° Activities involving a risk of exposure of persons to ionising radiation due to the use of either an artificial source, whether substances or devices, or a natural source, whether natural radioactive substances or materials containing natural radionuclides, hereinafter referred to as nuclear activities ; 2° Actions required to prevent or reduce risks in exposure situations as defined in Article L. 1333-3. Only…

Nuclear activities comply with the following principles: 1° The principle of justification, according to which a nuclear activity may only be undertaken or carried out if it is justified by the benefits it provides at individual or collective level, particularly in terms of health, social, economic or scientific benefits, compared with the risks inherent in exposure to ionising radiation to which it is likely to subject people; 2° The principle…

Decisions to take action in order to: : 1° Prevent or reduce the risk of exposure in a radiological emergency; 2° Protect people from a risk resulting from radioactive contamination of the environment or of products originating from contaminated areas or manufactured from contaminated materials; 3° To prevent or reduce a risk arising from exposure to a natural source of ionising radiation. A radiological emergency is any situation involving a…

In application of the principle of justification, certain nuclear activities as well as certain processes, devices or substances exposing persons to ionising radiation may be regulated or prohibited by regulation due to the limited benefits they provide or the extent of their harmful effect. Prohibitions or regulations adopted in application of the previous paragraph may be revised in the light of new and significant information enabling the justification for the…

Ionising radiation sources are subject to a national inventory, including in particular the maintenance of a national file of radioactive sources. The scope and procedures for managing, updating and accessing this inventory are specified by regulation.

Estimates of doses due to ionising radiation to which the population is exposed or likely to be exposed are made available to the public.