Got KI in your kit? Pills recommended around Indian Point
A Journal News editorial
May 7, 2014
A New York-based health foundation is once again advocating that people who live or work within a 50-mile radius of Indian Point nuclear power plant keep potassium iodide (KI) on hand. It’s a smart safety tip, although not everyone agrees with the need to push the pills so far.
On Tuesday, the PATH foundation brought out big-name support — former Govs. David Paterson and George Pataki, a Democrat and Republican, respectively — for a press conference announcing a new report on the issue. “We cannot minimize the gravity of concern we would have if there was some kind of disaster,” said Paterson during the press conference.
Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a petition to extend Indian Point’s primary evacuation zone from the current 10-mile circle to a 25-mile radius; the NRC also declined to establish a 50-mile secondary zone, which would stretch as far north as Kingston and as far south as New York Harbor.
Rockland Emergency Services Program Coordinator Nick Longo Jr. said he didn’t find a 50-mile KI distribution zone necessary, but “everyone is entitled to their opinion. … I have it in my house.” Standard distribution is one pill per person in a household in the evacuation zone, but Longo told the Editorial Board that county officials don’t ask people for their address and “we don’t confirm how many people are in your family for that matter.” Some towns and villages in Rockland also have supplies.
Westchester and Putnam emergency services offer distribution to residents in the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone around the Buchanan plant; Putnam officials have, upon request, given the pills to people who live outside the 10-mile zone.
Pro-safety pitch
Speakers at Tuesday’s press conference pitched the concept as pro-public safety and disaster preparedness, rather than anti-nuclear power. Capital New York quoted Pataki, former mayor of Peekskill, cautioning that, “This is not, in my view, about frightening people. … But we do have to be prepared.” In case of a radiation incident, KI would also be distributed during an evacuation or if health officials determine it is needed, officials say.
The PATH foundation report, “Managing Terrorism or Accidental Nuclear Errors Preparing for Iodide-131 Emergencies: A Comprehensive Review,” recommends that KI be “pre-distributed within 50 miles of a (nuclear power plant), and used only under regulatory guidance.”
Although KI is available without a prescription, it needs to be used with caution. Potassium iodide can cause adverse reactions in people with thyroid problems; infants who receive more than one dose should be closely monitored. Thyroid cancer from radiation exposure is a bigger risk for people under age 40, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People should take KI only on the advice of public health or emergency management officials, according to the CDC, because it poses its own risks.
According to the CDC, KI does not stop radioactive iodine from entering the body, but blocks the absorption of radioactive iodine in the thyroid. KI doesn’t protect other parts of the body. Thyroid cancer is a major risk from radiation exposure.
The pills have a five-year shelf life. So if you can’t remember when you last stocked up, it may be time for replacements.
It’s smart to plan for emergencies that will likely never happen. Most residents take such measures by placing smoke alarms in every room and having extra flashlight batteries on hand. For residents who live within 10 miles of Indian Point, or more, it’s worth considering if KI belongs in your emergency preparedness kit.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers advice on the use of potassium iodide to inhibit thyroid cancer as a result of nuclear exposure; find information at www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp.
