Emergency
112European emergency 117Police 118Fire brigade 144Ambulance 1414Rega (air rescue) 145Tox Info (poisoning)
Local time
Hazard · Technical

Radioactivity

Go indoors immediately, close windows and doors and turn off ventilation and air conditioning. Follow the radio and Alertswiss and comply with the authorities' instructions. Iodine tablets – distributed in advance within a 50-kilometre radius of nuclear power plants – should only be taken on the authorities' instruction.

In a serious accident at a nuclear power plant, radioactivity can be released. In Switzerland the Beznau, Gösgen and Leibstadt plants are in operation; within a 50 km radius of the plants, iodine tablets are distributed to households as a precaution. A distant accident can reach Switzerland too: after Chernobyl in 1986, precipitation brought radioactive caesium-137 mainly to Ticino.

The protective measures are clearly regulated: a protected room (interior spaces, cellar, building core), information via official channels — and, only on the authorities' instruction, the taking of iodine tablets. These protect only the thyroid against radioactive iodine; they are not a "cure-all" against radiation.

For dosing, an official staggering by age applies, and taking the tablets is not recommended for people over 45. The most important rule: first the authorities measure, then the instruction follows.

Risk rating

Risk · Medium (level 3 of 5)

Likelihood: Low · Impact: High → Overall risk: Medium.

Risk matrix: likelihood runs vertically (top = high), impact runs horizontally (right = high). The highlighted cell shows this hazard's rating.
Impact
Low Medium High
Likelihood High
Medium
Low This hazard's rating

Legend: Low (green) · Medium (yellow) · High (red). Overall risk is likelihood multiplied by impact.

In a nuclear power plant accident, every minute counts. Within the 50 km zone, iodine tablets are distributed as a precaution – only take them on the authorities' instruction.

Immediate measures

  • Stay indoors, ventilation off
  • Follow Alertswiss and the radio
  • Iodine tablets only on instruction

Warning signs

  • Alert via Alertswiss, radio or siren with the call to "listen to the radio / follow instructions"
  • Official notice from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) about a nuclear power plant accident
  • Official call to go to protected rooms and/or to have iodine tablets ready
  • Note: radioactivity is NOT perceptible to the senses — there are no "precursors" of your own; you depend on official warning channels

Before · During · After

Before

  • Know where the iodine tablets are stored (50 km zone)
  • Install and configure Alertswiss
  • Designate a protected room in the house (cellar, core)

During

  • Go indoors at once, close windows and doors
  • Switch off ventilation and air conditioning
  • Follow the radio and Alertswiss, comply with instructions
  • Take iodine tablets ONLY on the authorities' instruction

After

  • Wait for the all-clear before going outside
  • Food from the garden only after clearance
  • Follow decontamination instructions

This really happened

  1. 2019 Shutdown of the Mühleberg plant

    On 20 December 2019 the Mühleberg nuclear power plant (BE) was permanently taken off the grid as the first Swiss power reactor; formal decommissioning began on 15 September 2020. The dismantling, supervised by ENSI, is planned to take around 15 years.

    Source

  2. 2017 Ruthenium-106 over Europe

    In October 2017 elevated levels of the radioactive isotope ruthenium-106 were measured across almost all of Europe — including Ticino. Investigations traced the release to the southern Urals (Russia); there was no health risk for Switzerland.

    Source

  3. 2011 Fukushima

    The reactor accident of 11 March 2011 led to a political turning point in Switzerland: on 25 May 2011 the Federal Council decided on a gradual phase-out of nuclear energy.

    Source

  4. 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster

    After the accident of 26 April 1986, precipitation in early May deposited radioactive caesium-137; Ticino was the most affected. Some wild mushrooms and wild boar there still exceed the limit values today.

    Source

Frequently asked questions

How do I prepare for a nuclear accident?

If you live in the 50-kilometre zone around a nuclear power plant, you should know where your iodine tablets are stored. Install and configure Alertswiss and designate a protected room in your house, such as the cellar or building core.

When and how do I take iodine tablets?

Iodine tablets protect only the thyroid from radioactive iodine and are not a cure-all against radiation. Take them only on the authorities' instruction and in the officially age-adjusted dosage; people over 45 are not advised to take them.

How do I recognise radioactive danger?

Radioactivity is not perceptible to the senses – there are no precursors of your own. You depend entirely on official warning channels: alerting via siren, radio or Alertswiss and messages from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).

Official sources