The national action plan designed to identify exposure to ionising radiation of medical origin (PASEPRI) set up by ASN in 2004 in collaboration with IRSN and InVS, is continuing to provide information giving a clearer picture of the doses delivered to the patients. This action will continue in 2007.

In 2006, ASN also published an action plan concerning the risk from radon in the home. This plan is leading to preparation of the measures necessary for including radon measurement in the residential health file required for real estate transactions. It should eventually help gain a better understanding of radon exposure in those departments most concerned by this radioactive gas, with the ultimate goal of being able to provide the public with radon measurement results produced by organisations approved by ASN.

In addition to its regulatory and regulation duties, ASN closely monitors developments in research and knowledge in the field of health and ionising radiation, as well as in international radiation protection doctrine. More precisely, ASN observes that even if the latest summaries of current scientific knowledge produced by UNSCEAR and the latest estimates of the risk linked to ionising radiation produced by ICRP contribute valuable data concerning some effects of ionising radiation (lung cancer linked to exposure to radon, cardiovascular diseases, hereditary effects, effects on the immune system, and so on), they do not change the current foundations of radiation protection.

Following on from the recommendations made by the Vrousos commission and the National Health and Environment Plan, ASN in its previous reports has already stressed the need for a radiation protection scientific watch to be organised in France. In 2007, ASN will be contacting the leading national research organisations in order to look at the practical aspects of pooling the main research results likely to have an eventual impact on radiation protection. Exposure monitoring requires a particular effort in order to better identify the population categories or groups which are most exposed. The interest of this is three-fold: this knowledge should lead to better targeting of risk reduction efforts (optimisation), provide reliable indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of public policy and develop epidemiological surveys for an improved approach to the risk. Monitoring patient exposure and radon in the home are two priority areas for ASN.