In Memoriam Jean-Paul Samain (10.12.1944-7.3.2025)
BVS/ABR President 2011-2012
Jean-Paul Samain passed away in his sleep at his home in Jurbise. At the end of 2020, he suffered a stroke which put an end to his professional activities. He was cared for by his wife and family. He is survived by two sons and four grandchildren.
Jean-Paul was born in Frameries, in the Borinage region, into a family with a passion for railways (trains were always his preferred means of transport). He went to school in Jemappes (with Adamo!). He studied civil engineering in chemistry at Mons Polytechnic. He made many friends there, including Professor JM Charlet, who inspired him to tackle the radon problem, and Jean-Paul Minon for waste. He also maintained links with ULiège, notably in radioecology under the direction of the late René Kirchman,
Jean Paul consciously chose not to enlist in the army and went to teach in Oran for two years as a civilian service; the memory of Camus’ city will always be dear to him and his wife.
He completed his studies in the turbulent years of 1968 and opted first for the Administration de la sécurité au travail (Occupational Safety Administration), as did Pierre Stallaert, future president of the “Special Commission”, and future ABR presidents Nuyts and Hublet.
In 1968, Belgium had set up a large-scale nuclear energy program without adequate structures for nuclear safety, radiation protection and nuclear waste management. The Harrisburg accident in 1979 was a clear signal; that same year, Jean-Paul was appointed engineer – head of department. In 1982, at the Ministry of Health’s Service for Protection against Ionizing Radiation (DBIS/SPRI), he took the first steps in the Telerad project, which he gradually developed after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, with his colleagues and in collaboration with the IRE and SCK CEN, under the direction of the late Paul Govaerts. He became director of SPRI in 1988.
The “Transnuklear” nuclear waste scandal in Mol had meanwhile shaken Parliament. Jean-Paul dealt with this issue with two other Jean-Paul’s (Poncelet, who helped lay the political foundations of FANC in the late Minister Smet’s office, and Minon of AVN, who later joined ONDRAF). With the support of, among others, Erik Cottens, Jean-Paul designed the numerous regulations and legislation for the development of a new structure for nuclear safety and control. With the support, among others, of Erik Cottens, Jean-Paul designed the numerous regulations and legislation for the development of a new structure for nuclear safety and control. Jean-Paul went on to head the Committee for Coordination of International Environmental Policies (CCPIE) and became Director General for the Environment in 1995.
The 1994 law was to create the FANC, but it took another five years to integrate the various scattered nuclear administrations, until “Monsieur” Samain became its first DG in 1999. His first years in this top job were perhaps the best of his professional career. He and his colleagues did pioneering work on the radon problem and laid the structural foundations for managing medical exposure, following the advice of the Superior Health Council (HGR-CSS).
At the time, nuclear control was undergoing rapid expansion. The national context evolved with the 2003 law on nuclear phase-out, parliamentary commissions, the search for waste storage sites and the integration of private “approved bodies”, a difficult subject due to industrial and political interests. FANC was reformed in 2005. Jean-Paul became Chairman of its influential Scientific Council, where he used his experience, expertise and great diplomatic skills to defuse difficult issues.
With Jean-Paul, 40 years of pioneering work in radiation protection and nuclear safety come to an end.
After his retirement in 2009, Jean-Paul continued to work actively at national and international level, as a member of the BVS-ABR board, as a member of the ASN’s GPRADE scientific council in France, of which he became the much-appreciated Chairman at the end of 2007, and above all as a member of the Superior Health Council, where his former colleague Patrick Smeesters was the linchpin; he dealt in particular with the management of food irradiation and nuclear emergency plans. He succeeded in broadening the concept of emergency planning with Jean-Luc Godet’s advanced “Post-Accidentelle” approach at ASN. His great authority within the CSS also stems from his merit in translating earlier CSS recommendations into FANC policy, and his participation as early as 2004 in informal think tanks on radiation protection.
His presidency of the BVS-ABR was dominated by the Fukushima accident. During his presidency, Jean-Paul activated the Communication working group and gave priority to the revision of the Euratom Basic Safety Standards. He also spearheaded ABR’s efforts in the field of school education, where, with the support of NIRAS, he has already embarked on an international educational project on radon.
Jean-Paul will be remembered by his colleagues as an endearing man. His warm and friendly personality made him very approachable. He instilled confidence and made room for initiative. He took great care in preparing the international forums where FANC was represented, such as the IAEA, NEA and Euratom (Article 31), and carefully selected the right people for these missions.
His many French friends, notably at ASN, CEPN and SFRP, testify to his considerable expertise at international level, and underline his wisdom and benevolence, which often enabled him to reconcile contradictory opinions and personalities.
Jean-Paul will remain among us as a pioneer of radiation protection, with a wide-ranging technical expertise in complex issues, but many will remember him above all on a personal level, with many anecdotes, a few adventures at conferences, the annual outing with FANC employees where go-karts were included; they will associate him above all with the seductive smell of his pipe.
In December 2023, he sent a warm message for the ABR’s 60th anniversary celebrations, but was unfortunately unable to attend himself.