The Chernobyl fallout in France, critical review measurement-results obtained at that time and lessons learned for crisis management [Les retombées de l'accident de Tchernobyl en France: analyse critique des mesures effectuées à l'époque sur le territoire national et enseignements pour la gestion de crise]

International audienceThe Chernobyl fallout in France, critical review measurement-results obtained at that time and lessons learned for crisis management. Seventeen years after, all data of radioactivity measurements made in the environment at the time of Chernobyl accident by the various official French organisations have been listed and reassessed. These data were appropriate to evaluate within a short period of time, the radiological consequences of the accident fallout for a large part of the French population. However, because the effect of rain was not taken into consideration, these data did not enabled a correct evaluation of the contamination of foodstuff in some parts of the Eastern France where radioactive deposition were exceeding the regional mean value. For instance, despite the large analytical capability devoted to sensitive foodstuff measurements as milk, no focus was placed on the consumption of Corsica goat and sheep milk which could have lead to thyroid doses for children significantly higher that estimated mean values for Eastern France. Nowadays, the experience gained by IRSN would permit to better optimise the measurement distribution and to better assimilate data produced. However, to achieve this optimisation, we still need to carry on the radioecological sensitivity analysis of the different geographical compartments of the French territory, analysis eventually guiding any sample strategy. © 2004 EDP Sciences