Search results for ""Author Jean-Claude Amiard""

The marine environment, in addition to a not insignificant background of "natural" radioactivity, has continued to receive inputs of radionuclides directly or indirectly through atomic fallout, discharges from the nuclear industry or from nuclear accidents. After their introduction, the fate of these radionuclides is complex with modifications of physicochemical forms, dispersion in marine water masses and adsorption onto sedimentary particles. Marine organisms then bioaccumulate these radionuclides to a greater or lesser extent, dispersing them via their burrowing activities, horizontal and vertical migrations or through food webs. All of these phenomena lead to very variable radioactive contamination, depending on location and the nature of the marine environments concerned, and consequently, to very different doses of irradiation to marine organisms. The harmful effects of ionizing radiation on living marine organisms are felt at varying levels of biological organization from the molecule to the ecosystem, passing through the cell, the organ, the individual and the population. In the end, the radioactive risk for marine organisms can decline according to several situations, which can be normal, programmed or accidental.

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Following the acquisition of the atomic bomb by five states, the United Nations began drafting several treaties to limit nuclear proliferation. These efforts failed, as four more states also acquired nuclear weapons. In a similar vein, an attempt to limit atomic weapons - primarily within the two superpowers - was initiated.While the number of weapons has decreased, the new bombs now being manufactured are more powerful and more precise, negating any reduction in numbers. In the field of civil nuclear use, all nuclear facilities (reactors, factories, etc.) have a limited lifespan. Once a plant is permanently shut down, these facilities must be decommissioned and dismantled.These operations are difficult, time-consuming and costly. In addition, decommissioning generates large volumes of radioactive waste of various categories, including long-lived and high-activity waste. Risks to the environment and to health are not negligible during decommissioning. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have produced numerous publications with recommendations. Each state has its own decommissioning strategy (immediate or delayed) and final plan for the site - whether it be returning it to greenfield status or obtaining a nuclear site license with centuries-long monitoring.

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The peaceful use of atomic energy has given rise to a variety of nuclear accidents from the start. This concerns all forms of use, industrial and medical. For each accident, Industrial and Medical Nuclear Accidents details the contamination of the environment, flora and fauna, and quantifies the effects of ionizing radiation. The book also examines the adverse effects on the health, both physical and mental, of the human populations concerned. The monetary cost is also evaluated. The research presented in this book is based on scientifically recognized publications and on the reports of national and international organizations competent in this field (IAEA, WHO, UNSCEAR, IRSN, etc.). The book contains chapters devoted to the most recent accidents (Chernobyl and Fukushima), with a large body of institutional and academic literature.

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The use of atomic energy for military purposes has given rise to a variety of nuclear accidents from the outset. This applies to all levels of use: from the manufacture of weapons to their commissioning. This book provides an overview of the potential impact of such accidents. The prospective consequences of local and global nuclear war are detailed. Similarly, for each accident, the environmental, ecological, health and socio-economic consequences are reviewed. The contamination of the environment and its fauna and flora is detailed and the effects of ionizing radiation are reported. The same is provided for human populations and the adverse effects on the health and physical and mental states of the populations concerned. The economic cost of accidents is also evaluated. The research presented in this book is based on scientifically recognized publications, and reports from the military forces of the various countries concerned and from the national and international organizations competent in this field (IAEA, WHO, UNSCEAR, IRSN, ICPR, etc.).

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Detailing the estimation and perception of nuclear risk, this book follows military and civilian nuclear accidents, plus the systems put in place by national and international authorities for recording and analyzing feedback. Prevention and anticipation being the best defenses against a nuclear accident, the authorities have also categorized the different types of accidents, and are doing research to better understand and control them. In light of this, this book shows how the authorities take practical measures to protect neighboring populations and limit radioactive contamination of the environment. France�s experience in this arena is well-documented and a chapter of this book is devoted to the fight against terrorist attacks in the nuclear field. Nuclear Accidents is based on scientifically-recognized publications, as well as on reports from the various countries concerned, and the national and international organizations competent in this field (IAEA, WHO, UNSCEAR, IRSN, etc.).

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