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Oslo - Health risks

Fire 110
Police 112
Ambulance 113
Poison Control + 47 (22) 59 13 00 (Giftkartoteket)
For questions about nutrition and food poisoning, contact one of the laboratories on the following list or the Norwegian Food Control Authority at:

Statens Næringsmiddeltilsyn
Ullevålsv. 76
Oslo
Norway
Tel: 47 (22) 24 6650

Dangerous animals
The only venomous snake in Norway is the adder (huggorm) or European viper, recognized by the black zig zag pattern against a brown background on its back. This snake can be found in the forested area around Oslo.
Predators in Norway are bears, lynx, wolves, and wolverines. The stock of wolves is growing and wolves have been seen in the Oslo surroundings (Nordmarka).

Pollution
Norway gets air pollution from acid rain (industry in neighbouring countries) and carbon dioxide from offshore oil activities. During the winter, the air quality in Oslo deteriorates because of the combination of no wind and heavy traffic, especially combined with asphalt particles carved up by studded winter tires on many cars. A law has been passed to reduce the use of studded tires in built up areas, and if you need to drive in downtown Oslo with studded tires, you have to pay a fee.

Environmental protection is a political priority and Norway has a strict anti-pollution law. Industries discharging polluting substances risk heavy fines and companies now report on their actions taken towards environmental awareness in their annual reports.

Some of the chemicals that are banned in Norway are Azo colorants, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), halon, lead, mercury. For more information about hazardous chemicals, contact the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority at:

Statens Forurensningstilsyn (SFT)
Strømsv. 96
Oslo
Norway
Tel: + 47 (22) 57 3400
website: www.sft.no/
Aims at combating pollution, promoting waste management and recycling, and regulating the use of hazardous materials

Radiation

Statens Strålevern
Grini Næringspark 13
Østerås
1332
Norway
Tel: + 47 (67) 16 2500
Public information on radiation protection

Water
There are still large amounts of clean drinking water in Norway, but the water does get some pollution from agriculture, acid rain, and leakage from sewage in older water supply systems, which can cause diarrhea. For more information about health issues related to the water quality, contact the National Institute of Public Health at: