Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1993, published 80th ILC session (1993)

Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 (No. 115) - French Polynesia

I. The Committee notes with interest the information contained in the Government's latest report and the adoption of Deliberation No. 91-019 AT of 17 January 1991, pursuant to Act No. 86-845 of 17 July 1986, fixing the specific measures for the protection of employees against the dangers resulting from external exposure to ionizing radiations which gives effect to Article 9, paragraph 1, and Article 13(d) of the Convention.

II. The Committee would refer the Government to its general observation of 1992 under this Convention which sets forth the latest recommendations made by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) concerning exposure to ionizing radiations (Publication No. 60 of 1990) and requests the Government to provide further information on the following points.

1. Article 3, paragraph 1 and Article 6, paragraph 2

(a) The Committee notes that the dose limits set forth in article 5 of Deliberation No. 91-019 AT do not correspond to the revised dose limits set forth in the latest ICRP recommendations, but rather those referred to by the ICRP in 1977 (i.e. 50 mSv per year). The latest ICRP recommendations concerning dose limits for occupational exposure to ionizing radiation (see paragraph 11 of the general observation) set an effective dose limit of 20 mSv per year, averaged over five years (100 mSv in five years), but not to exceed 50 mSv in any single year. The Government is requested to indicate in its next report the steps taken or envisaged to amend the dose limits for occupational exposure to ionizing radiation in light of current knowledge as reflected in the 1990 ICRP Recommendations.

(b) The Committee would refer the Government to paragraph 13 of the general observation concerning dose limits for pregnant women. It notes that article 5 of Deliberation No. 91-019 provides that the exposure of ionizing radiation to the abdomen of a pregnant woman should be reduced as much as possible and should, in no instance, exceed 10 mSv. In its latest recommendations, the ICRP has concluded that women who may be pregnant should be provided with a standard of protection for any unborn child broadly comparable with that provided for members of the general public (i.e. effective dose not to exceed 1 mSv per year) and that the equivalent dose limit to the surface of the woman's abdomen should not exceed 2 mSv for the remainder of the pregnancy. The Government is requested to indicate the steps taken or envisaged to ensure effective protection of pregnant women in the light of current knowledge.

2. Article 8. The Committee once again recalls that this Article of the Convention calls for maximum permissible dose levels to be fixed for workers not directly engaged in radiation work but who may remain or pass where they may be exposed to ionizing radiation. It would refer the Government to paragraph 14 which indicates that the dose limits for non-radiation workers should be equivalent to those set for members of the general public (1 mSv per year averaged over any five consecutive years). The Committee notes that, under article 3 of the Deliberation, exposed workers are defined as those who because of their work may be exposed to annual doses of ionizing radiation greater than one-tenth the limit set for workers (i.e. one-tenth of 50 mSv or 5 mSv). The Government is requested to indicate the steps taken or envisaged to ensure that non-radiation workers are not exposed to doses of radiation greater than those set for the general public (i.e. 1 mSv per year).

3. The Government is referred to paragraphs 3 to 7 (functions of dose limits within the system of protection against ionizing radiations), 16 to 27 (limitation of occupational exposure during and after an emergency) and 28 to 34 of the general observation of 1992 (the provision of alternative employment) and requested to indicate the steps taken or envisaged in relation to the matters raised in paragraph 35 (a), (c) and (d).

III. In its previous comments, the Committee had requested the Government to indicate the progress made in ensuring the effective protection of workers against internal exposure to ionizing radiations. It would call the Government's attention to ICRP Publication No. 61 of 1991 which sets forth annual limits on intake of radionuclides by workers through inhalation or ingestion. The Government is requested to indicate the measures taken or envisaged to ensure the protection of workers against internal exposure to ionizing radiations in conformity with Article 6 which calls for dose limits to be set not only for external, but also for internal exposure.