Civil protection in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant

Despite the high safety standards for nuclear power plants and the associated requirements, an accident involving the release of radioactive substances into the environment can never be ruled out with one hundred percent certainty in Germany. This also applies to nuclear facilities in neighbouring European countries. Therefore, precautions are taken in all states to protect the population.

Due to the federal structure of the Federal Republic of Germany, authorities and organisations at various levels cooperate in the event of an emergency in order to ensure the protection of the population together with the operators in the event of an emergency in Germany.
 

Civil protection measures are short-term emergency measures such as:

• the invitation to stay in buildings for protection against radioactive radiation,
• the distribution and intake of iodine tablets to reduce the radiation exposure of the thyroid gland,
• evacuation according to prepared plans as a precautionary measure and to protect the population if a large quantity of radioactive substances has settled at the place of residence, and
• warning the population against eating freshly harvested food and fresh milk.

The basic measures for radiation protection precautions are longer-term measures such as:

• control of trade in foodstuffs and feedingstuffs;
• Recommendations concerning individual behaviour (e.g. The request to close windows and doors, avoid staying outdoors, cover sandboxes, etc.),
• measures in the field of agriculture (e.g. bringing animals into the barn, early harvesting, washing of fruit and vegetables, etc.),
• Large-scale decontamination measures or
• Longer-term relocation.

The federal states are responsible for the area of civil protection with the corresponding disaster control measures and the federal government is primarily responsible for the radiation protection precautionary area and the associated measures.