Analysis by IRSN of the Fukushima Daiichi accident of March 2011

This film has been made to help viewers better understand the events that took place at Fukushima Daiichi. It focuses entirely on the events that resulted in a core meltdown in three of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. The management of the cooling systems for the fuel storage pools, and impact of the accident on plant employees, local population and the environment, are not covered.​
Produced 01/2013 - 1h09

The development of the accident 

This film presents the sequence of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011. It explains how the boiling water reactor (BWR) operated in Japan, describes the scenario of the accident and details the actions conducted during the crisis.
Produced 02/2012 - 13mn

Contamination of the environment

This film provides explanations on the consequences of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi on the environment. It addresses the radioactive releases and their consequences on the terrestrial environment in Japan and on the marine environment of the Pacific Ocean.
Produced 02/2012 - 9mn

Health issues after the accident

This film provides explanations on the health issues related to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It addresses the emergency responses at the time of the accident, and the protection and long-term monitoring of populations.
Produced 02/2012 - 12mn

X-rays: Man becomes transparent

On December 28, 1895, the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen announced that he had just discovered something which he had baptized X-rays. With these rays, we can see the inside of objects, like bags and suitcases, but if you put your hand in front of them, it is the bones that appear!
Produced 2007 - 10mn

The epic story of radium

Resuming the work by the French physicist Henri Becquerel, Pierre and Marie Curie gave the name "radioactivity" to the property possessed by certain elements of spontaneously emitting radiation. In 1898, Marie isolated polonium and radium, two elements thus for unknown and highly radioactive.
Produced 2007 - 11mn

The alchemists' crucible

In 1934, Irène Curie (daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie) and her husband Frederic Joliot discovered that it was possible to artificially produce radioactive atoms (or radioisotopes). This significant discovery led to another breakthrough discovery: the fission of uranium.
Produced 02/2012 - 8mn

The first steps towards radiation protection

This film tells the story of the radiation protection from the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity at the end of the 19th century until today.
Produced 2007 - 10mn

Nuclear fallout

Between 1945 and 1980, Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China carried out more than 500 atmospheric nuclear tests. Each explosion released large amounts of radioactivity into the environment. And then a test that went amiss – being three times more powerful than expected – made the world headlines.
Produced 2007 - 7mn

Controlled areas

In a nuclear facility, areas exposed to radiation are most often located in what is called "controlled areas". Workers entering such area must wear special clothing and protective gear. Their profession, activities and work methods are inconceivable without some form of radiation protection.
Produced 2007 - 7mn

Rays in the universe: radon

The earth contains a great many natural radioactive elements, such as uranium, thorium and potassium. Uranium, for example, is present in all rocks, and in particular granite rocks. When it decomposes, it gives rise to a radioactive family, ultimately forming lead, which is stable. Radon is one of the radioactive decay products of uranium. Its distinguishing sign is that it is a gas.
Produced 2007 - 5mn

Rays in the universe: cosmic radiation

We live in a pool of radioactivity since the world began. An average of 240 particles per m² fall on France every second. This exposure caused by cosmic radiation accounts for 10% of the naturally originating exposure to which we are all subjected.
Produced 2007 - 9mn

Radioecology: Monitoring Becquerels

As soon as the French nuclear industry took off in the early 1970s, it became necessary to monitor its facilities and control discharges with particular care.
Produced 2007 - 5mn

Contaminated areas: The Sami after the Chernobyl accident

There are some parts of Europe where people still follow their ancestral way of life. In Lapland, in the far North, the Sami have been raising reindeer for centuries. They also fish, hunt and gather all the food this wild countryside dotted with lakes and forests can provide them. But since Chernobyl, much has changed...
Produced 2007 - 7mn

The effects of radiation on our health

Ever wondered what our cells look like? Radiation (X-rays, radioactivity) is an aggressive source of danger capable of damaging our DNA molecules which carry our genetic heritage.
Produced 2007 - 7mn

Healing rays

Radiography and nuclear medicine provide doctors with essential information needed to prescribe the appropriate treatment. But the risks of radiation must not be neglected.
Produced 2007 - 7mn

International Conference Radon and Society: From Knowledge to Action

In April 2013, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) and IRSN organized an international conference, co-sponsored by WHO, on the prevention of radon risk in homes.
​Produced 2013

IRSN's standards and interlaboratory comparisons

Delivering reliable results is the objective of laboratories in charge of radioactivity measurement in the environment. To make sure, these laboratories use “standards” (sample of radioactive material for reference) and participate in exercise to test their expertise and their methods.
​Produced 2014 - 6 mn

Tritium measurement

Tritium is naturally present in the environment, and is also one of the main radionuclides discharged by nuclear activities. In what amounts is it found? How does it behave? IRSN's experts try to answer these questions every day, by measuring the presence of tritium in the environment..
Produced 2015 - 6 mn