Radioactivity in the Environment and Radiation Doses in Switzerland
Monitoring radioactivity in Switzerland: a constant commitment since 1956
For nearly 70 years, Switzerland has continuously monitored radioactivity in its environment. This national programme has two main objectives:
To detect rapidly any increase in artificial radioactivity that could endanger public health in the event of a radiological accident.
To measure and track reference levels of natural and artificial radioactivity in order to accurately assess the radiation doses received by the population.
This monitoring also includes the follow-up of past contamination, particularly from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as from the Chernobyl accident.
It also serves to assess the actual impact of nuclear power plants, research centres and companies using radioactive substances on the environment and nearby populations.
Each year, the FOPH, in collaboration with ENSI, Suva and the cantons, develops a sampling and measurement programme covering the entire country. This network also involves other federal laboratories and various university institutes. The FOPH collects, analyses and interprets all the data, and publishes the full results in its Annual Report on Radioactivity in the Environment in Switzerland, together with an estimate of the radiation doses to the population.
Read the full report and see the latest results →
