The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is currently preparing for potential risks associated with warfare. According to BfS President Inge Paulini, the scope of focus has shifted, noting that while Germany’s nuclear phase-out has significantly reduced traditional domestic risks, it has simultaneously introduced new ones.
Paulini pointed out that it was previously unimaginable for nuclear power plants and related facilities to become combat zones or military targets during conflicts. She cited the situation in Ukraine and potential risks stemming from the Middle East.
The BfS staff continuously monitors data concerning radioactivity levels in Ukraine and neighboring regions. The President explained that the office, with support from the German Weather Service, is calculating whether air masses from Ukraine could reach Germany in the event of a release and estimating the duration of such dispersal. While similar assessments are conducted for the Middle East, the greatest distance there means that protective measures are not anticipated to be necessary.
Despite the new geopolitical risks, Paulini emphasized that Germany’s emergency preparedness has been significantly bolstered, positioning the country much better than 40 years after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Currently, the nation benefits from clear national rules and established central federal bodies. The BfS also collaborates with neighboring states, utilizing the Federal Radiological Situation Center-a central crisis team located within the Federal Ministry for the Environment.
Paulini confirmed that the entire radiation protection emergency system has undergone extensive revisions following both the Chernobyl disaster and the Fukushima events in 2011. The office now operates with nationwide guidelines that dictate the appropriate actions-such as when evacuations, sheltering in buildings, or taking iodine tablets are advisable, based on specific measurements of radiation levels. Critically, she advised that iodine tablets should only ever be taken following direct recommendations from official authorities, and not self-administered.
