Andra's Approach to the Remediation of Contaminated Sites - 23313

Several sites in France are contaminated by radioactive substances, mostly due to the radium industry after Marie Curie's discoveries. Andra is in charge of cleaning up contaminated sites if the polluter is no longer in existence and therefore the polluter pays principle cannot be applied. The article presents Andra's specific approach to these challenging remediation works with a dedicated organization. Andra draws up remediation scenarios, obtains the necessary funding and permits, specifies the work and carries the project out, with the support of a network of specialized companies. Some examples are also presented. (authors)