[Alpha emitters inhalation: detection by a process with flags]. / Intérêt de l'évaluation de l'inhalation des émetteurs alpha par la technique des drapeaux.

This work relates to the contaminated people survey (alpha emitters inhalation) with nasal mucus sample analysis. Alpha emitters detection by liquid wander on flags (blotting paper) was employed. Compared to the current technique with paper handkerchiefs, this process improves considerably the time, reduced to 10 min between the sampling's reception and the results of the analysis. The detection's sensitivity of the process is also higher. This process with flags concerns the occupational survey on people leaving an alpha contaminated area (nuclear power plant). It is also available to the monitoring of intervention teams leaving the contaminated area during the immediate response phase and the follow-on response phase (management of the crisis and site restoration).

[Urinary uranium analysis results on Gulf war or Balkans conflict veterans]. / Bilan du dosage urinaire de l'uranium appauvri chez des vétérans des conflits du Golfe ou des Balkans.

During the 1991 Gulf War, the 1995 Bosnia conflict and the 1999 Kosovo conflict, munitions containing depleted uranium (DU) have been employed by the coalition forces. Altough the radioactivity of this metal is about 40-50% lower than that of natural uranium, and that health concerns are based primarily on the metal's kidney toxicity, DU has been quoted among the causes of the different pathologies developped by some soldiers a few time after they went back home. In order to evaluate the potential relation between a DU exposition and some of the pathologies described, more than 200 urine uranium analysises have been done between 1999 and 2003 by the laboratory of the french Army radioprotection service. The method used is the standard method for determining uranium in excretion of nuclear workers: a chemical uranium isotopes separation (including 234, 235+236 and 238) followed by an alpha ray spectrometry. All results were negative and quite all of the detection limits were lower than the ones recommanded by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (10mBq/L per isotope). The summary is that none of the available analysises for uranium excreted in urine suggests that any subjects examined had incorpored DU that could explain pathologies appeared after the conflicts.

Diagnosis of internal radionuclide contamination by mobile laboratories.

To support patient management of possible radiation casualties in case of a radiological or a nuclear event, the Defence Radiation Protection Service (SPRA) is able, 24 h a day, to supply intervention means in France and overseas if requested by military authorities or civilian institutions. SPRA has developed mobile laboratories for the diagnosis of internal radionuclide contamination. The mission of this mobile unit is to study health and environment risks linked to radiological hazards for exposed people: workers, soldiers and also civilians. The mobile laboratories are able to be deployed in all types of nuclear or radiological events, and give the results of analysis to physicians and authorities in a short time. The vehicles are fully equipped to detect and to survey exposure to alpha, beta and gamma emitters for the supervision of people exposed to ionising radiation, by whole body counting or analysis of biological samples. Environmental survey by analysis of wipes, soil, water, vegetation or air filters can also be achieved.