[en] The Eighth International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on May 17-22, 1992. The theme of the congress was 'worldwide achievement in public and occupational health protection against radiation'. More than 500 abstracts were submitted for consideration by the International Congress Program Committee and most of the abstracts were accepted and allocated to oral or poster sessions. There is a total of twenty sessions included in the 2 volume proceedings

[en] Nuclear power plant components or equipment often need to be more ore less decontaminated before maintenance. In order to coordinate the activities of the various maintenance specialists belonging to the corporate or Site Organizations, the Management of EDF/Nuclear and Fossil Division has created a 'Decontamination Task Force'. The first objective of this Task Force was to prepare this 'Decontamination Guide for Nuclear Power Plants'. This document is the result of a close collaboration, within a specific working group, between representatives of Nuclear Fossil Division (from Nuclear Power Plants and Corporate Departments) and EDF Project and Construction Group. It will provide assistance to Nuclear Plants Operators in the very specific field of decontamination. (author)

[en] Protection against IR and NIR developed in completely different ways because of the very different evolution of the techniques they involve. While as soon as 1928, the International Society of Radiology created the International Commission of Radiological Protection, we had to wait until 1977 to see the creation of the International Committee for NIR (INIRC) by IRPA. To compare protection against Ionizing Radiations and Non Ionizing Radiations we will first carry out a general analysis of its components and then we will draw the general conclusions leading to a quite comparable evolution. (author)

[en] Radiation Protection brings together a variety of disciplines which would claim to be sciences. The amalgamation of these into radiation protection is done under the guise of Scientific Committees and by Scientists. Can the result of this amalgamation still be described as a science? If not, our perception of the discipline and attitude to its practice may need to change. The attitude of the media and that of the public to our profession may also change if radiation protection is recognized not to be a science. An analysis of the basis of science would indicate that Radiation Protection is not a science. The question is then posed; what is the discipline of Radiation Protection? (author)

[en] Emergency planning within BNFL covers arrangements to deal with the on and off-site effects of an incident. The on-site arrangements cover measures to recover the situation at the scene of the incident and protection of the workforce. The off-site arrangements include co-ordination of the off-site emergency response, implementation of counter-measures to protect the public and information flow to the public, media and government. Regular emergency exercises held to test the arrangements may involve some 12 agencies and many hundreds of persons over a 2-day period. (author)

[en] Health Physics Instruments have changed rather dramatically in the past decade. On the one hand, technological innovations like Microprocessors, data storage facilities and imaging displays have altered shape, size and appearance of the classical devices, particularly the hand-held ones. On the other hand, instruments are increasingly being considered as an integral part of Radiation Protection procedures and organizations, supporting a smooth and reliable implementation of all necessary measures. This implies ease of operation, and extensive self-checking and performance control features. Since there are different categories of users with quite different degrees of motivation and training, the measuring instruments of the future will have to be adapted to specific types of users. Instruments for 'professional' radiation protection - for example in nuclear power plants and nuclear technology - will differ from instruments used in the radionuclide laboratory, where radiation protection will necessarily have to be done as a 'side-job'. (author)

[en] Dispersion conditions are often inhomogeneous and instationary because of the local presence of disturbing influences. Experimental investigations in a wind tunnel allow the analysis of these disturbed dispersion conditions. Thus a realistic calculation of the atmospheric diffusion of emitted radioactive substances is possible. (author)

[en] EDF is responsible for managing wastes until the final storage which is done by the ANDRA. In its management of radio-active wastes, EDF applies the same quality approach as for its other nuclear power plant operations. The goal is to specify the quality required to comply with fundamental safety rules, to obtain this quality by adequate ways and means at every link in the waste chain and to prove that this quality level is really obtained. All these actions, supported by powerful computer facilities, contribute to maintain the safety level which was planned at the design stage, and this has made is possible to substantially reduce the volumes and the cost of wastes sent to storage. (author)

[en] This communication summarizes the report presented to the Quebec government by an expert-committee. The main health effects of ELF fields are reviewed and a discussion of the public health impact for Quebec is presented. Recommendations include the need of further research as well as a public information program and major efforts to improve risk assessment. (author)

[en] Presentation of a reference handbook analyzing the consequences of a nuclear accident on agriculture and how to react in order to mitigate them. Based on the right of citizens to be informed on civil security organization on the protection of population, goods and environment: this book is a preliminary reflexion to post-accidental planning. (author)