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(COMTEX) B: Pennsylvania Gov. Schweiker Administration Announces Potassi
B: Pennsylvania Gov. Schweiker Administration Announces Potassium Iodide To Be
Distributed From Aug. 15-21 Citizens, Workers and Schools Within 10 Miles Of
Nuclear-Power Plants to Receive KI Pills
HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug 5, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- On behalf of
Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, officials from the departments of Health and
Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the
Pennsylvania Homeland Security Office today announced that, from Aug. 15-21,
citizens living within a 10-mile radius of Pennsylvania's five nuclear-power
plants may pick up potassium iodide tablets that can add an extra layer of
protection in the unlikely event of an accidental release of radiation.
Potassium iodide is commonly referred to by its scientific symbol of KI.
"I want to stress that obtaining KI tablets is not mandatory -- it is an option
Gov. Schweiker wanted to give our citizens so they could make their own choices
about emergency preparedness," Health Secretary Robert S. Zimmerman Jr. said.
"I can't stress strongly enough that these pills are not a substitute for
evacuation. In the unlikely event of a radioactive release, KI pills only
provide temporary protection for the thyroid gland against cancer and
hypothyroid conditions, not other types of health problems that may result from
exposure to radiation."
Homeland Security Director Earl Freilino said, "I want to emphasize that
Pennsylvania's nuclear-power plants are safe, secure and heavily monitored
facilities. Even though we're going to make these pills available, we aren't
going to be any less vigilant in how we train people to respond to a nuclear
emergency or defend our nuclear plants.
"In April, when Gov. Schweiker accepted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's
offer of KI as an extra layer of protection for our citizens, he was very clear
that our best protection in the event of a radiation release is evacuation, and
KI is not a substitute."
There are five nuclear-power plants in Pennsylvania: Beaver Valley Power
Station, Limerick Generating Station, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station,
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, and Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating
Station. There are more than 650,000 people who live within a 10-mile radius of
these facilities. The area within a 10-mile radius of a plant is called an
Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).
The KI tablets will be distributed starting Thursday morning, Aug. 15, through
Wednesday evening, Aug. 21, at 15 sites across Pennsylvania, at least one site
for each EPZ around the nuclear-power facilities. The sites will be open
weekdays from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on the weekends from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Public-health nurses and other public-health workers will issue two tablets for
each person. Individuals picking up KI tablets will be asked to sign for the KI.
Individuals will be allowed to pick up tablets for their family members and
those who are unable to pick them up on their own.
In addition to the tablets, instructions on how to store the pills, when they
should be taken and how to give them to children will be given out. Department
of Health staff also will be available to answer questions.
KI also will be available for those people who work in the 10-mile EPZs, but do
not live there. Employers will be receiving letters asking them to contact the
Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH to make arrangements to pick up tablets
for their entire workforce.
School districts within the 10-mile EPZs will be given the option of deciding
whether to accept and how to distribute KI for their students. There are 44
school districts in the 10-mile EPZs around Pennsylvania's nuclear- power
facilities. The Department of Health has been working with the Department of
Education and the Association of School Boards to answer questions about
dispensing this over-the-counter medication.
Likewise, amusement and sports facilities and other places that draw large
transient populations and are in the 10-mile EPZs will be given access to KI,
but it will be up to each facility to determine if and how to best make it
available to their customers in the unlikely event of a radioactive release at a
nuclear-power plant.
If for any reason people are unable to pick up KI during the initial seven-day
distribution, or if they decide at a later time that they'd like to get KI,
Health Department offices will maintain a supply and will make it available for
pick up by the public during normal business hours. There is no time limit for
picking up KI at these sites.
Secretary Zimmerman recommends that residents talk to their family physicians
and pediatricians if they have any questions about their health and whether or
not there are specific reasons why KI may not be safe for their family.
Below are the KI distribution sites for Aug. 15-21. Residents are welcome to go
to any distribution site within the EPZ for the nuclear facility in their area:
Beaver Valley Power Station
-- Beaver County State Health Center, 300 S. Walnut Lane, Beaver;
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
-- Luzerne County Community College, 1333 S. Prospect St., Nanticoke;
-- Northwest Area High School, 243 Thorne Hill Road, Shickshinny;
-- Berwick High School, 1100 Fowler Ave., Berwick;
-- Beaver Main Elementary School, RR#3, Bloomsburg;
Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station
-- Kennard-Dale High School, 393 Main St., Fawn Grove;
-- Solanco High School, 585 Solanco Road, Quarryville;
Limerick Generating Station
-- Kimberton Fair Grounds, Route 113, Kimberton;
-- Boyertown Junior High School West, 380 S. Madison St., Boyertown;
-- Limerick Fire Station, 380 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick;
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station
-- Elizabethtown High School, 600 E. High St., Elizabethtown;
-- Crossroads Middle School, 535 Fishing Creek Road, Lewisberry;
-- Lower Dauphin Middle School, 251 Quarry Road, Hummelstown;
-- Lyall J. Fink Elementary School, 150 Race St., Middletown; and
-- Community Life Team Building, 1119 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg.
For additional information about potassium iodide (KI), visit the PA PowerPort
at www.state.pa.us, PA Keyword: "KI" or call the Department of Health at
1-877-PA-HEALTH.
CONTACT: Richard McGarvey of the Pennsylvania Department of Health,
+1-717-787-1783.
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SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Health
CONTACT: Richard McGarvey of the Pennsylvania Department of Health,
+1-717-787-1783
URL: state.pa.us
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Copyright (C) 2002 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.
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