Residents Near NY Nuke Plant to Get Iodide Pills

Reuters ^

[EggsAckley]

Wednesday, June 5, 2002 Residents Near NY Nuke Plant to Get Iodide Pills WHITE PLAINS, New York (Reuters) - Amid fears nuclear power plants could be the target of terror attacks, officials plan to provide residents near the Indian Point installation, just north of New York, with potassium iodide pills to protect against any release of radioactive gases.

West Chester County officials said that beginning on Saturday the pills will be distributed on the first three Saturdays in June at three local schools.

The distribution of the pills, which were provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and are known as KI, comes after federal warnings that nuclear power plants could be the targets of future attacks.

KI helps to prevent thyroid cancer in the event of a radiological emergency, officials said, by blocking the absorption of radioactive iodide, one of the gases that can be released in a nuclear accident.

The county has also stockpiled the KI pills and will distribute them to local schools on request. Forty-six pharmacies in the county have agreed to stock the pills, the Westchester County Health Department said.

[EggsAckley]

I wonder about people at OTHER nuclear installations...

[Dog]

I live just north of the Salem Nuclear plant in South Jersey ...the state is now thinking over how to give out these pills to us..

[txhurl]

Really.

This is at least as ..alarming? as the 70-million smallpox doses discovered a few months ago?

[thinden]

the junior senator from NY will take credit for this.

[twigs]

We live within 20 miles of a nuclear plant and I bought potassium iodide pills for my family last October!

[phasma proeliator]

A "lock and Load",
"duck and cover"

PING

[HELLRAISER II]

I live close to the Baxley, Ga Nuke plant as well, but the question I have is what good is Iodide pills if the plant blows up. It damn sure won't protect me from a nuclear blast, Iodide pills will only help those left in the aftermath.

[HELLRAISER II]

I bet she doesn't take credit for her part of the Clinton Presidency F**k ups that her boneheaded husband is responsible for. Oh I forgot He never did anything wrong, my mistake.

[HELLRAISER II]

I bet she doesn't take credit for her part of the Clinton Presidency F**k ups that her boneheaded husband is responsible for. Oh I forgot He never did anything wrong, my mistake.

[johnny7]

Don't worry about pills. Watch for the wierd guy with a pack nuke on a red wagon!

No pill is gonna stop you from tumors if you're near the detonation point or up-wind 50 miles.

Suck it up junior, we all are equal... once again.

[freeperfromnj]

I live just north of the Salem Nuclear plant in South Jersey

Back in April the state of NJ obtained about 700,000 pills (about two pills for each person who lives or works within 10 miles of a nuclear plant).

[chimera]

I live close to the Baxley, Ga Nuke plant as well, but the question I have is what good is Iodide pills if the plant blows up. It damn sure won't protect me from a nuclear blast,...

You've been reading too much science fiction and/or listening to the anti-nook kooks. The physics of LWR technology does not allow a nuclear explsoion to take place. The fissile material is too dispersed and there is no credible mechanism to assemble it into a supercritical mass which would produce even a low-yield nuclear explosion.

And no, NOT like Chornobil. That was a power transient that produced fuel damage and moderator burnup. The explsoive reaction was from steam and hydrogen. In an unconatined system, like the RBMK design, disperion can occur. LWR system like we have in this country have containment, so widespread dispersion is mitigated.

[waspguy]

Nuclear Plants won't BLOW up. They'll MELT down.

The configuration of the nuclear pile is such that an attack on the plant's best hope is to somehow breach the containment building and let the fissiable material escape and contanminate the region around the plant.

Thankfully it's quite hard to get a nuclear material to blow up.

[dd5339]

"Back in April the state of NJ obtained about 700,000 pills (about two pills for each person who lives or works within 10 miles of a nuclear plant)."

2 pills for each person, well that's good for 2 days. Since radioactive iodine has a half life of 4 days you'll be covered for half of the time.

My families KI is incoming, we don't trust waiting for the state to deliver the federal push packs. The State Health Department told us in the event of an emergency the Feds would push pack the KI to the state within 24 - 48 hours. To long to wait in my book.

Semper Fi!

[handk]

Emergency & Safety

 
HOME     E-MAIL     SECURE ORDER FORM      

Model:
Medical Corps (K1O3)

Bottle:
200 Tablets
85 mg. Potassium Iodate

Price/Bottle
$21.00 per bottle/delivered

---

Model:
Medical Corps (K1)

Bottle:
200 Tablets
65 mg. Potassium Iodide

Price/Bottle
$19.49 per bottle/delivered

---

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Patient Information:

Potassium Iodate Medical Information

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Compare:

Potassium Iodate vs. Iodide

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Information/News Links

NY Times...Nuke Plants Told to Be More Alert

Nuclear plant strike July 4Threat to nuclear power plant on July 4

Pill Can Cut Risk of Thyroid Cancer from fallout

Washington Post Article...Cut Risk of Thyroid Cancer from Fallout 12/01

FDA Guidance on Potassium Iodide 12/01

MSNBC 11-11-01 StoryFBI Investigates whether Bin Laden has Portable Nukes

President Bush speaks of nuclear threat

Nuclear Plant security tightens

CNN Story

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey

Safeguarding Public Health with Potassium Iodide

---

 

What is Potassium Iodate?

---

• It is KIO3, a stable-iodine substance in a convenient tablet form that can be divided for smaller child dosages. Children are highly susceptible to nuclear radiation. In the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl accident, children who were exposed to radioactive fallout had a 30- to 60-fold increased rate of thyroid cancer.
  
  
• It has a very long shelf life, nearly indefinite
  
  
• It is inexpensive – only $21.00 for a bottle of 200 tablets. (A family of 4 typically would need approximately 2 bottles).
  
  
• It is not bitter and even children can keep the tablet down.
  
• It is guaranteed fresh and has certification of 99.70+% purity by Medical Corps.

---

Intended Use: In the event of a nuclear power-plant leak or nuclear attack, Potassium Iodate would be used to prevent the thyroid from absorbing damaging radioactive iodine and therefore preventing long-term thyroid damage caused by inhaling or ingesting particles of radioactive iodine.

The manufacturer, Medical Corps, states it is has an extended shelf life and does not have the bitter taste as with Potassium Iodide tablets. Additionally, Potassium Iodate is a larger, chewable pill that is easier to section in order to attain the proper and accurate dosage for smaller children who require half (or less) of the adult dosage. Potassium Iodate has a more stable content of iodine than Potassium Iodide. (Iodine content is 60%).

---

DOSAGE CHART FOR MEDICAL CORPS
POTASSIUM IODATE:

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• Adults, and Children over 12 years of age:
  Take: 2 tablets per day for 15 days (minimum) to 85 days

• Children 3 years to 12 years:
  Take: 1 tablet per day for 15 days (minimum) to 85 days
• Babies 1 month to 3 years
  Take: ½ tablet per day for 15 days (minimum) to 85 days
• Newborns to 1 month:
  Take: ¼ tablet per day for 15 days (minimum) to 85 days

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As with any medicine or drug, prior to taking ALWAYS first consult your Personal Physician.

The information contained herein is intended for informational purposes only. It is NOT offering medical advice. Again, always consult your Physician.

---

Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 EmergencyResources.com All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.

[phasma proeliator]

First - I understand what you (and a couple others here) are saying.

BUT. "Thankfully it's quite hard to get a nuclear material to blow up."

it depends on your definition of "blow up". Enough TNT, or C4 and you can make anything "blow up". Now, causing a nuclear REACTION that makes a BOOM - is a different story.

My point...? any of our nuclear power plants can be blown up... nuclear material can be blown up. And although only a limited number of people would die from the blast - nuclear material would be dispersed over a great area and many people would suffer greatly. Not to mention the pure "mental" effect such an attack would have (which, after all, is what terrorism is all about).

[Sandy]

the state is now thinking over how to give out these pills to us

Don't wait for the state. You can buy your own pills online.

[HELLRAISER II]

I realize that there would have to be more involved than just an explosion, but if there was a meltdown there could be an explosion. Couldn't it? I'm no expert obviously, but I'm sure that Iodide tablets would not save anybody within a 20 to 30 mile radius, would it?

[MrNeutron1962]

"I live close to the Baxley, Ga Nuke plant as well, but the question I have is what good is Iodide pills if the plant blows up. It damn sure won't protect me from a nuclear blast, Iodide pills will only help those left in the aftermath."

When it blows up, send me a digital photo.