Mission and organisation of the Environmental Radioactivity Section (URA)
The Environmental Radioactivity Section (URA) coordinates the national environmental radioactivity monitoring programme and draws up an annual sampling and measurement plan. It operates its own laboratory for measuring environmental radioactivity.
Specific monitoring in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and other companies using radioactive substances is also carried out in collaboration with the relevant supervisory authority (ENSI, SUVA). Emissions from installations are also monitored by means of parallel measurements.
The URA Section collects all the monitoring results from its partners in the federal administration, the cantons and the universities, and draws up an annual report. Finally, the URA Section is responsible for assessing the radiological risk to the Swiss population on the basis of the monitoring results.
The legal basis for monitoring radioactivity is provided by the Radiation Protection Act (LRaP), the Radiation Protection Ordinance (ORaP) and the Ordinance on Foreign Substances and Components (OSEC). As part of the national programme for monitoring radioactivity in the environment, the URA Section is the main laboratory for the atmospheric domain (i.e. air, aerosols, precipitation) and for in-situ gamma spectrometry. The detection of natural radionuclides, particularly in water and soil, is another important area. The URA section's measurement laboratory is accredited (to ISO 17'025) for gamma spectrometry, in-situ gamma spectrometry, tritium measurements, alpha spectrometry and radon measurements in water.
As well as independent measurements, parallel measurements of emissions are carried out.
The URA section laboratory has:
- high-purity germanium detectors for gamma spectrometry
- liquid scintillation equipment (LSC)
- dose rate measurement equipment
- a sampling and measurement vehicle
- precipitation collectors
- high-flow aerosol collectors
- standard aerosol collectors
- river water collectors
- a network for monitoring radioactivity in the atmosphere (URANET)
- aerosol collectors that can be fitted to military aircraft
Further information
Further topics
Europe’s highest-altitude radioactivity monitoring station on the Jungfraujoch
The FOPH monitors radioactivity in the environment – particularly in the atmosphere – and now also on the Jungfraujoch, at more than 3,400 metres above sea level.
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Ambient Radioactivity Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
Switzerland - 3003 Bern