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Nuclear accident management

If a nuclear facility in Germany or neighboring countries causes an accident, radiological emergency protection is activated to protect the population.

Graphic with symbol images for radiological emergency protection

Guide to emergency preparedness

What is a radiological emergency? What impact does an emergency have on health and the environment? How is the population protected? Where can current measurement data be found? This article provides answers to these questions and more, as well as links to further information.

Sketches: Nuclear power plant, transport vehicles, satellite, nuclear facilities, and others, each with a radioactivity symbol, grouped around a plant

Consequences of a radiological emergency

Radiological emergencies can vary greatly in their nature and severity, depending, among other things, on the quantity and type of release and the spatial extent. This also results in different consequences for the environment and on people's physical and mental health.

In the BfS a radiological situation picture is created.

What does the BfS do in an emergency?

In a radiological emergency, the BfS acts as part of the Federal Radiological Situation Centre to coordinate nationwide environmental measurements, as well as conducting measurements of its own. The BfS uses the measurement results and information about the source of the released radioactivity to draw up a radiological situation report. This serves as the basis for recommendations on emergency action issued by the Federal Environment Ministry to the state authorities that are responsible for emergencies.

Handheld measuring device used to determine the ambient dose rate in front of the Chornobyl reactor. The display shows a value of 3.04 microsievert per hour.

What is an emergency?

If a larger amount of radioactive substances is released, this is called a radiological emergency, which can have an impact on health and the environment. The most widely known nuclear accidents that included massive releases of radioactive substances into the environment occurred in 1986 in Chornobyl (Ukraine) and in 2011 in Fukushima (Japan).

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Who does what in an emergency?

In a radiological emergency, depending on the type of accident, there will be close collaboration between federal and state authorities, plant operators and/or emergency services in Germany and abroad. Their common goal is to deal with the emergency and to protect the population as effectively as possible from radiological consequences.

One-hand portable probe for mobile measurements

Exercises for emergency situations

For the event of an accident in a nuclear facility in Germany or neighbouring countries, the radiological emergency preparedness system will be activated immediately to protect the population against ionising radiation. To be able to take the appropriate protective measures in an emergency, the contamination of the environment must be measured and assessed quickly and reliably and the resulting radiation exposure for the local people has to be determined. Exercises are performed by employees of the BfS to assure proper operation of the process under such conditions.

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