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The corona pandemic has shown us that there are emergency events for which one can de facto not or only limitedly prepare. But there are also emergency and disaster scenarios for which appropriate precautions can be taken. By that I mean radiological events stressed health officer Beate Prettner today at a press conference to which she had also invited Carinthias radiation protection officer Rudolf Weissitsch. With the Krsko nuclear power plant we in Carinthia have a potential hazard almost on our doorstep. The Slovenian government recently gave the green light for further expansion of the nuclear power plant said Prettner. Fortunately nuclear power plant accidents are rare. Still they can happen. And they actually happen. Lets think of Fukushima. Lets think of Chernobyl reminded the health officer. However one would also live with other sources of danger that are hardly known - such as transport accidents with medical or industrial radiation sources. Such transports are constantly on the move on our roads said Prettner. Another source of danger are radiation sources that suddenly appear somewhere - i.e. the discovery of radioactivity for example in scrap in bulky waste at disposal companies. Of course there is also a risk in the event of a fire in a company with radiation sources said the health officer. said Prettner. Another source of danger are radiation sources that suddenly appear somewhere - i.e. the discovery of radioactivity for example in scrap in bulky waste at disposal companies. Of course there is also a risk in the event of a fire in a company with radiation sources said the health officer. said Prettner. Another source of danger are radiation sources that suddenly appear somewhere - i.e. the discovery of radioactivity for example in scrap in bulky waste at disposal companies. Of course there is also a risk in the event of a fire in a company with radiation sources said the health officer.Federal regulations provide reaction plans for precisely these emergency scenarios. The state of Carinthia has also developed a mobile measuring laboratory for all these latent sources of danger. This makes us the only federal state that has such a measurement laboratory. We call it the Carinthian radiation measurement bus KRN MESS explained Prettner. The radiation measurement equipment of the bus was developed by the Carinthian radiation protection officer Weissitsch together with the Gihmm company. Gihmm is also the company that developed the Austria-wide radiation early warning system and maintains it on an ongoing basis. The bus cost around 120000 euros - the raw bus accounts for 60000 euros with the current cost of the inner workings costing a further 60000 euros. This equipment is constantly being developed. Because measuring systems are constantly developing and the bus updates follow just as permanently. The radiation measuring bus brings numerous advantages It saves journeys it saves time it saves money emphasized Prettner and Weissitsch. Why Particularly in the event of a nuclear power plant accident extensive measurements of soil plants water measurements of food and measurements of feed are necessary. With KRN MESS it is guaranteed that we can act very quickly in Carinthia. Without KRN MESS you would have to take time-consuming samples - from soil plants feed etc. These samples would then be sent to Graz or Vienna where the analysis stations are located condition. The laboratory evaluations are correspondingly expensive. With the bus however we can carry out measurements directly on site. We receive the evaluations after just a few minutes So that the bus is not only used in an emergency the state of Carinthia is also using it to create two maps that are constantly being completed and updated said LHStv.in Prettner. It concerns on the one hand the cesium map of Carinthia and on the other hand the Carinthian mushroom map. Weissitsch With the cesium map we will create the first comprehensive cesium inventory of a federal state. This provides us with basic values that can be used for comparison in the event of a radiation event. And with the mushroom map we recorded cesium-contaminated mushrooms in a geographically assignable manner. This is also used as a comparison value in the event of contamination of parts of our state. As Carinthias radiation protection officer Weissitsch is responsible for coordinating radiological emergencies and drawing up radiation alarm plans. In emergencies and disasters secure information and secure data are paramount. That means The population has to be provided with facts and appeals as quickly as possible said Weissitsch. And that means above all Fear stress panic especially through false reports on social media must be prevented. With the Carinthian radiation alarm plan our federal state has a communication channel that people can rely on It connects all relevant levels - administration health organizations executive - and forwards all necessary information to the population immediately. Without fake news emphasized Weissitsch.The various scenarios are regularly tested nationally and internationally in the form of emergency exercises. Even in worst-case scenarios international standards do not require evacuations in Austria even for nuclear power plant accidents close to the border emphasized the radiation protection officer. Why Because the other planned protective measures - such as staying in buildings and blocking iodine by taking potassium iodide tablets - are sufficient explained Weissitsch. In Austria potassium iodide tablets have been stored for the supply of the population for over 25 years.
