French policy for managing the post-accident phase of a nuclear accident.

In 2005, at the request of the French Government, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) established a Steering Committee for the Management of the Post-Accident Phase of a Nuclear Accident or a Radiological Emergency, with the objective of establishing a policy framework. Under the supervision of ASN, this Committee, involving several tens of experts from different backgrounds (e.g.

Modelling remediation options for urban contamination situations.

The impact on a population from an event resulting in dispersal and deposition of radionuclides in an urban area could be significant, in terms of both the number of people affected and the economic costs of recovery. The use of computer models for assessment of urban contamination situations and remedial options enables the evaluation of a variety of situations or alternative recovery strategies in contexts of preparedness or decision-making. At present a number of models and modelling approaches are available for different purposes.

Non-invasive monitoring of the activities of daily living of elderly people at home--a pilot study of the usage of domestic appliances.

We conducted a feasibility study of a system for non-invasive monitoring of subjects at home. Electrical activity was recorded from room lights and from electrical domestic appliances; this was translated into the probability of physical activity or a particular Activity of Daily Living (ADL). Thirteen volunteer subjects were monitored for a period of 6.

Improvement of modelling capabilities for assessing urban contamination: the EMRAS Urban Remediation Working Group.

The Urban Remediation Working Group of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS) programme was established to improve modelling and assessment capabilities for radioactively contaminated urban situations, including the effects of countermeasures. An example of the Working Group's activities is an exercise based on Chernobyl fallout data in Ukraine, which has provided an opportunity to compare predictions among several models and with available measurements, to discuss reasons for discrepancies, and to identify areas where additional information would be helpful.

The FARMING approach: main results and perspectives of the French FARMING groups.

The Chernobyl accident led to a long-term crisis that affected agriculture, food and living conditions in complex ways, and that modified the usual economical, political and social relations between public and private stakeholders at local, national and international level. The EC FARMING project aims to create a European stakeholder network to consider possible rehabilitation strategies for rural areas contaminated after a nuclear accident. The Institute of Patrimonial Strategies of the National Institute on Agronomy had responsibility for setting up the French stakeholder group.