Air surveillance
For the monitoring of radioactivity in the atmosphere, the URA section operates, in addition to the UraNet network, other sampling systems allowing to reach a very low detection limit (high sensitivity measurements).
Author: André Gurtner
High Volume Sampler
Since 1993, the URA section has maintained a network of high-flow aerosol collectors. Currently, six stations are in operation:
No trace of iodine-131 in January air samples in Switzerland.
New automatic network for measuring radioactivity in the air in Switzerland
The new automatic network for monitoring airborne radioactivity operated by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) is operational. It replaces the old network, which was put in place after the Chernobyl accident and became obsolete. This network makes it possible to identify and quantify radionuclides in the air and to generate an alarm if set thresholds are exceeded.
This publication is only available in French and German.
Origin of tritium in the environment
Tritium is the radioactive isotope of the element hydrogen. Its half-life is 12.3 years. As tritium is an isotope of hydrogen, its behaviour in the environment is mainly related to the water cycle (tritiated water; tritium replacing hydrogen in the water molecule).
This publication is only available in French and German.