Release of chemical substances
In the event of a chemical incident, toxic liquids, gases or solid substances may be released. This may cause damage to the environment, animals or humans.
Risks and causes
Causes
Consequences
What can you do?
BEFORE
- Find out in advance if you live near a Seveso company.
- Register for BE-Alert to be informed immediately in the event of a chemical accident.
Exposure to dangerous substances is not always obvious, and you may only notice it after a few days or weeks. Do you think you may have come into contact with dangerous substances? Look out for these signs:
- You notice unfamiliar vapours, odours or strange tastes.
- You feel irritation in the eyes, skin or respiratory tract.
- You have any of the following symptoms: vomiting, tremors, sweating, disorientation, breathing difficulties and fever. These are serious signs of contamination.
- Other people around you have the same symptoms or develop new ones.
DURING
- Are you outside? Stay away from the incident. Walk perpendicular to the direction of the wind.
- Take cover in the nearest building.
- Get inside and stay there. Taking shelter is the best way to protect yourself. Stay inside until you are informed that it is safe to leave.
- Close doors and windows and disconnect ventilation systems. Ideally find a place in a central room on the ground floor. Walls and ceilings offer better protection than windows.
- Follow the recommendations of the authorities. Find out what measures you need to take.
- Have you been in contact with a suspicious substance?
- Remove your clothes.
- Put your clothes into a bin bag and seal it.
- Take a shower.
- Keep your children at school. They will follow the same recommendations.
- Use SMS or the Internet to communicate. Keep the telephone network free so that people can contact the emergency services.
- In some cases, you will have to evacuate. Follow the instructions of the emergency services, do not do this on your own initiative.
AFTER
- A chemical accident may have an impact on drinking water and food, such as agriculture, livestock or garden vegetables. Follow the instructions of the authorities.
Impact and probability
The figures relating to probability and impact describe an extreme release of chemicals. The BNRA theoretically describes such a scenario as follows:
- A lethal substance or one that can cause serious long-term damage spreads over an area of more than 100 km². This area covers several densely populated zones and critical infrastructure.
- There is no rain, and there is strong wind. This allows the poison to spread over a large area.
- The contamination causes irreversible damage to the environment. It affects both residential and natural areas.
How should you interpret these results?
Within the BNRA, experts assessed three scenarios for each risk: considerable, major or extreme. On each page, you will find the results of the scenario with the highest score based on the combination of likelihood and impact. This does not mean that this scenario will occur or is the most likely. Read more here about how to correctly interpret the results.
Probability
Very weak
Human impact
Strong
Societal impact
Moderate
Environmental impact
Weak
Financial impact
Weak
What do the authorities do?
The release of chemicals may have various causes. Various public services take preventive measures for:
- An incident at a Seveso installation
- An incident at a CBRNe installation
- An incident during transport of CBRNe substances
- An attack on CBRNe infrastructure
- An attack on a shipment of dangerous goods