Precautions in case of pregnancy

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding you may have questions or concerns regarding your visit to one of the PSI large scale user facilities. All experimental halls at PSI are controlled radiation areas.

According to the Swiss legal radiation protection guidelines 'Strahlenschutzverordnung' pregnant women may only be exposed to radiation at work if it is assured that, from the time when a pregnancy becomes known until its completion, the effective dose to the unborn child does not exceed 1 mSv. No incorporation at all is allowed for nursing mothers. If a person is not categorized as 'exposed to radiation within his/her professional work' the limit is 1 mSv per year, regardless of gender.

Those values are very unlikely to be received during a normal experiment at the PSI large scale user facilities. At SLS the acceptable maximum dose including all experimental areas is 0.020 mSv / week. Nevertheless, it is your personal responsibility if you accept to work in an environment that might expose you to radiation in general.

In addition, areas with strong magnetic fields are clearly indicated and should be avoided by pregnant women. Other dangers like chemical or biological risks might be linked with your own experiment. For further information we advise you to consult a doctor at your institution.

In case of questions regarding safety risks you may contact the respective PSI Safety Specialist. A checklist 'Maternity Protection in the Workplace' is available online to help you assess possible risks during your planned experiment at PSI.