2. Different types of monitoring

For the radiological monitoring of nuclear facilities, there are two types of monitoring, each with distinct but complementary objectives:

• continuous monitoring measures in real time the activities released by the nuclear facility (gaseous discharges or discharges of rainwater or industrial effluent), as well as the levels of radiological activity at environmental monitoring stations set up around nuclear facilities. These continuous measurements should enable the rapid detection of any abnormal radiological evolution in the discharges;

• deferred monitoring is based on punctual or continuous sampling and laboratory analysis. It plays an essential role in establishing the balance of activities released, and in determining the radiological impact of the nuclear facility on its environment.