New Hampshire health and safety officials will soon begin distributing potassium iodide pills to people living near the Seabrook and Vermont Yankee nuclear power plants. Potassium Iodide, also known as KI, protects the Thyroid gland in the event of a nuclear accident?..But as the state?s new distribution policy nears completion, people on all sides of the issue agree getting the pills to all those who want them will pose challenges.
Before the September 11th terrorist attacks, state officials had little interest in distributing potassium iodine. A 1999 state study found it ?inappropriate and ineffective for state agencies to distribute KI pills during a nuclear emergency.? All that changed however, last winter, when Governor Shaheen decided to accept the federal nuclear regulatory commission?s offer of free KI pills to any state with a nuclear power plant. According to Jim Van Dongen of the New Hampshire?s office of emergency management the state is still at work trying to figure out how best to integrate potassium iodine into existing public safety protocols.
"It?s an administrative problem of trying to get the pills into the hands of those who want them. Essentially it?s probably going to be a mailing system, where you would complete a form and it would be mailed to the household. It?s probably be up and running in a few weeks."
Some however, remain skeptical. Jenn Hicks is field director for the seacoast anti-pollution league. SAPL has advocated state distribution of KI pills for years.
"Many of the emergency management officials never wanted to say that there was a safety and security threat at this plant??And I think there was a fear if they accepted these pills it would be an admission that the plant was unsafe."
Hicks also worries that not enough will be done to inform citizens about exactly what the pills can?t and cannot do.
"It?s not just giving the pills out and the deal is done. Most people don?t understand what these pills are for and I?m really afraid that there?s going to be real comprehensive education behind this."
State officials say Hicks fears are unwarranted. They says packets describing how KI can reduce the amount of radiation absorbed by the thyroid during a nuclear accident will be provided to all households in the 23 towns that comprise NH?s two emergency zones. An 800 number is also in the works, and KI information is already available on the state website. ?But even so, Management?s Jim Van Dongen admits that misinformation is rampant?..and not only among average citizens.
"You?ve got people like Congressman Markey from Massachusetts calling this the anti-nuclear Cipro?.That?s absolutely false and counter productive."
And state officials say concerns that KI might be misconstrued informed a crucial element in New Hampshire?s new policy. Peter Payton of the state office of radiological health says the state?s ultimate decision to provide only one pill per person?was driven by the fear that giving out any more might harm evacuation efforts.
"As the discussion went underway it was why we give people two of these pills. That would just encourage people to stay and see if it gets any worse. We want them to evacuate, so we decided to give them one which will last twenty four hours which is certainly enough time to evacuate."
Apart from stressing the need to evacuate, Payton says state?s top priority is to ensure that those most vulnerable to thyroid damage caused by radiation get access to potassium iodine. To that end, says Payton, the state will make sure all area schools that want to stock KI pills get them.
"The WHO and FDA have said it?s of questionable benefit if you?re over 40. But there?s no question it will benefit young people, and we hope to have them available to schools and daycares before school starts. If they say they?ve got 900 kids we want to get them 900 tablets."
What remains uncertain, however, is how many schools will take the state up on its offer. So far none of the eight schools in the district closest to the Seabrook plant, SAU 21, have opted to take the pills. And the school board of Hampton falls?. has decided to reject the pills entirely. Hampton falls school board chairman Greg Winger he and the other board members attended a KI presentation put on by the state, and concluded that handing out the pills was impractical.
"If you?re in an emergency situation?.The complexities would have been overwhelming. I just didn?t see that you could effectively distribute it?.At least the way they?re presenting it to us at this point."
The state?s is expected to publicly unveil its KI distribution polices in the coming weeks. Meanwhile the seacoast antipollution league has scheduled a Seabrook evacuation safety forum for early October. The forum includes a panel discussion on potassium iodine.
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo