Ecotoxicology dossier - Radioecology. The IPSN steps up the 'radio' programs.

At the occasion of the Ecorad 2001 congress, held in Aix-en-Provence (France), the French institute of nuclear protection and safety (IPSN) presented its new ambitious research programs at halfway between radioecology and ecotoxicology. This article recalls the domains covered by both branches and introduces the Carol (quantification of the radionuclides distribution in Camargue, Rhone, and Languedoc regions), Ecorad (transfer of radionuclides in soils, plants and animals) and Envirhom (impact of ionizing radiations during chronic exposures) programs. (J.S.)