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Natural gas is safe
Unlike town gas, natural gas is not toxic and is inherently odourless. An odorant is added to natural gas, giving natural gas its distinctive smell and enabling people to detect gas leaks immediately. Natural gas is lighter than air, so it volatises quickly. Natural gas can only be ignited if gas is mixed with air in the right proportion (5–15%) and the source of ignition reaches a temperature of around 650 degrees.
Only specially trained gas technicians may work on natural gas equipment and install gas appliances. Strict laws, regulations and technical guidelines regulate gas pipeline and auxiliary plant construction and operation.
Monitored by federal authorities
There are strict regulations for building and operating the high-pressure natural gas network, in-line tanks and spherical gas tanks. Natural gas companies are required to continually monitor all equipment and systems, inspecting them on a regular basis and submitting a report to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the Swiss Federal Pipelines Inspectorate.