BARNSTABLE COUNTY REPORT
Free Pills To Counter Possible Pilgrim Threat Now Available On Cape…Especially For Kids

By George R. Heufelder, MS, RS
Director, Barnstable County Department
 Health & Environment

“KI is now available at no costs to all residents of Cape Cod and the Islands.”
Every time I make that statement, it is met with quizzical looks, a yawn, or a blank stare. The truth is that after a long delay, Cape and Islands residents are being supplied with a two-day dose of potassium iodide (KI) to be used in the event of a severe accident at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant that might release radioactive iodine.

KI is taken to prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland. Over the past 20 years KI has been made available to towns located within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. But it wasn’t until 2002 that the Cape and Islands was included on the free distribution list in recognition of the possibility of wind dispersal to our area from the Pilgrim Plant.

Each community on the Cape and Islands is presently developing or finalizing a KI distribution plan to include information on risk, dosages and other emergency measures to think about in the event of a nuclear accident. Since KI is most effective when taken during the first three to four hours following exposure, many communities also are formulating plans for the distribution to school children while still in the classroom.

Accordingly, for those with children in the schools, you may see information packets and release forms in the near future. Please attend to them as soon as possible since no KI will be given a child in school unless a signed release form has been received.

For distribution to the population at large, plans range from making the pills available at convenient locations in the community to a more active distribution of pills at public gatherings.

To accompany the KI pills, appropriate information and outreach materials are being developed by a task force of local health agents and will be available to the public at the time of pill distribution. The information stresses the need to develop a full-breadth emergency response to a nuclear accident.

It explains that in some instances your best protection in conjunction with taking the KI pill may be to shelter in place, a process that involves closing off all outside openings to the house, moving to an inner room or basement and tuning your radio to an emergency response network for further instructions.

In other instances, orderly evacuation to safer areas may be called for. The bottom line in the outreach materials is to stress that KI pills address only one small aspect of the risk from a nuclear accident, and that it is important to keep informed regarding additional measures.

The availability and distribution of KI in our area is not without controversy. Objections to the distribution generally stem from the perceived low benefit (due to the perception of low risk) versus the effort required, for instance, to maintain the plan for the distribution to school children. In the end, you must make the choice whether it is worth obtaining the pills, which are free, and forming your emergency plans to address a possible nuclear accident. Please remember that KI is not a magic bullet. It is one piece to an overall emergency plan for your family that should also include an understanding of sheltering-in-place and evacuation.

How will you know when to take your KI?  If there is an emergency, your state and local health officials will use all appropriate channels to let you know when to take your pills. The dosage per 24 hours varies and ranges from 130 mg for adults over 18, to 16 mg for infants a month old or younger. In an emergency that occurs while your child is in school, it is generally considered safe to give all children the whole (130 mg) pill.
In general, there are little or no side effects from KI. If, however, you have or are being treated for a thyroid condition, you should check with your doctor well before an accident to see whether taking KI to prevent radioactive iodine would be potentially harmful.
So, what can you do to assess the benefit from obtaining your free KI pills?  Foremost, stay informed. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Radiation Control Program maintains a website at www.state.ma.us\dph\rcp that has the most recent updated information. Or you can call them at 617-727-6214.

For local availability, ask your local health department how to obtain the free pills for you and your family.