CBRNe
This may be due to
- an accident or an involuntary event, for example a transport incident or a pandemic;
- a malicious event, such as a crime or terrorist attack;
- the use or presence of military equipment, installations or agents, requiring multidisciplinary management and/or coordination at national level.
A CBRNe incident always requires multidisciplinary management and/or coordination at national level. Examples of CBRNe incidents are: a major accident involving dangerous substances, an epidemic, a nuclear accident, etc.
BEFORE
Exposure to hazardous substances is not always obvious and can sometimes only be noticed after a few days or weeks. Do you think you have been in contact with dangerous substances? Be attentive to the following:
- You notice indistinct fumes, strange smells and tastes.
- You have trouble with your eyes, skin and respiratory system.
- You have any of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, tremors, sweating, disorientation, difficulty breathing and fever. These are serious indications of contamination.
- Other people around you feel the same or get symptoms.
DURING
- Leave the area where the dangerous substances are coming from. Go to a safe place. Call 112.
- Have you been in contact with a suspicious substance?
- Take off your outer clothes.
- Throw your clothes in a garbage bag and seal it.
- Take a shower.
- Follow the recommendations of the authorities or the emergency services on site.
AFTER
- The material you came into contact with will be examined. You will be given the necessary instructions.
- Contact your family doctor.
Impact and probability
In 2018, the National Crisis Center coordinated a large-scale risk assessment for Belgium. Several experts assessed various risks based on their probability and their impact on people, society, the environment and the economy.
For the risk of 'CBR(N) attack', the analysis is:
- Impact: high impact
- Probability: possible
For the risk of 'transport sector CBRN incident', the analysis is:
- Impact: low impact
- Probability: very likely
Important: We are currently updating these pages based on the new Belgian National Risk Assessment. You can find a summary report of these results here.
What does the government do?
In 2018 a CBRNe expertise centre was set up within the National Crisis Center. It helps partners to make CBRNe emergency plans operational, offers support in crisis management, and participates in training for intervention services.
A CBRNe incident always requires multidisciplinary management and/or coordination at national level. Depending on the nature of the incident, different emergency plans may be triggered by a CBRNe risk, for example the nuclear and radiological emergency plan or the CBRNe terrorism emergency plan.