Repères - N°48 / March 2021 - The IRSN magazine - 21

ENVIRONMENT

Taking an ecosystem-based
approach

Marine models also revealed shortcomings
in 2011. Improvements must be made in
radionuclide dissemination predictions
and simulations of transfers to fish and
shellfish consumed by humans. After
ten years of research, dispersion modeling,
based on marine current calculations, is
operational and ready to be used by the
IRSN Emergency Center (see Webmag).
Another model, regarding transfer to biological species, has also been perfected.
" In the event of an emergency, the tools must
make it possible to quickly issue recommendations: bans on fishing, consumption, etc.
Based on the estimated levels in the water,
they assess the radionuclide concentrations
expected in fish, " explained Céline Duffa,
specialist in radionuclide transfer in
marine systems. " The accident in Japan
shows that species contamination varies
according to habitat and diet. Benthic
organisms-living on the seabed, such as
the olive flounder-are the most affected.
Their diet is linked to sediment, which traps
radioactivity, " she added.
AMORAD offers a new ecosystem-based
approach and considers transfers across
the entire trophic chain. It considers the
relationships between various organisms
according to their eating habits.

Quantify uncertainties

In the agricultural field, post-Chernobyl
models on market gardening (cabbage,
spinach, etc.), field crops, and livestock
products (milk, meat, etc.) were already
present in operational tools like Symbiose4,
and these remain valid. The lack of a model
for orchard fruit (apples, cherries, etc.) has
been remedied thanks to data acquired
by the Japanese authorities.
The Fukushima Daiichi accident highlighted the need to know how to quantify
the level of accuracy of forecasts and
their uncertainties. " Post-accident zoning
[see p. 14] is defined by comparing predicted
values with a benchmark. For safe zoning,
we seek to quantify the uncertainties of
models, " concluded Marie Simon-Cornu,
specialist in risk assessment. n

EUROPE
Territories project

Managing the post-accident phase
at the local level
© Département Gironde

calculations would help decision making. "
The model, parameterized with the
Japanese dataset, needs to be transposed
to the French context, according to the
nature of its vegetation, soil, and climate.
A thesis is currently exploring this issue3.

The local nuclear information commission (CLIN) of the Gironde department hosted a delegation
of Japanese and Belarusian stakeholders as part of the Territories program in December 2018.

ow can land affected by long-term
contamination be managed? This question is
at the heart of the Territories project led by IRSN.
" We make thirteen recommendations on how
to model the long-term evolution of contamination,
include uncertainty in decision-making, develop
co-expertise in radiation monitoring, and so forth.
Citizens, experts, and institutions all work together
on this project, " said Marie Simon-Cornu,
coordinator of the project involving eleven
European partners.
Ties with Japan are strong. In late 2018, during
a workshop with Le Blayais (Gironde department)
local nuclear information commission (CLIN),
several Japanese stakeholders shared their

1. Improvement of models for predicting
the dispersion and assessing the impact
of radionuclides in the environment.
2. Radioactive cesium isotopes are among
the major radioelements in accidental releases
from power plants.
3. Study of the long-term behavior of atmospheric
fallout of cesium-137 in French forests,
Dina Okhrimchuk, in progress.
4. Platform for simulating the transfer of
radionuclides to ecosystems and calculating
the dosimetric impact on humans.

experience with wine makers. The testimonial
from a persimmon producer was particularly
memorable. " He explained how the trees and fields
were cleaned and how each piece of fruit was
monitored for radiation, " recalled Xavier Paulmaz,
Project Manager for the CLIN. A fictitious
accident was envisaged, and consideration was
given to the following questions: How could
business be revived? Should the vines be pulled up?
What financial support would be available?
Since then, a working group has made local
stakeholders aware of these issues.
Find out more:
Territories.eu

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gonze M.-A. et al. (2021a) Sci. Total Environ.
Gonze M.-A. et al. (2021b) Sci. Total Environ.
(submitted)
Gonze M.-A. and Calmon P. (2017) Sci. Total
Environ.

Find out more:

AMORAD
irsn.fr/Amorad-EN

WEBMAGAZINE

READ

A mapping tool
to help local
stakeholders
prepare
irsn.fr/R48-EN
Page 21 - Repères No. 48 - March 2021

https://territories.eu/ https://www.irsn.fr/Amorad-EN https://www.irsn.fr/R48-EN

Repères - N°48 / March 2021 - The IRSN magazine

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