In the case of an accident at an industrial site, the rules to follow are to stay at home, close all windows and doors, and to stay informed through the media.
These guidelines were issued by Minister for Home Affairs Taina Bofferding and Minister of Labour Georges Engel on Friday. They apply in the event of an accident at a Seveso company, which is a business where accidents can cause harm to humans, for example because of toxic-chemical substances or fumes.
In Luxembourg, 16 Seveso companies are registered at 14 locations. Warehouses and fuel tanks owned by oil companies are also classified as Seveso companies.
In the coming days, a leaflet containing guidelines will be distributed to all households in Luxembourg. They can also be found on the website seveso.lu (only in French).
The term Seveso refers to a town in the Italian region of Lombardy that suffered the consequences of an industrial catastrophe in a chemical plant in 1976.
Because there was no emergency plan in place at the time, poisonous chemicals seeped into the earth and contaminated a vast area, including Seveso.
The incident had serious ecological and sanitary consequences, resulting in countless children being hospitalised and animals dying.
