Pennsylvania residents who live or work within 10 miles of the state’s nuclear power plants can obtain potassium iodide tablets from state health officials over the next two weeks.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is distributing the free “KI” tablets on September 9 and 16 without appointments.
“Emergency preparedness is an important aspect of public health,” said the department’s acting secretary Alison Beam. “Having potassium iodide tablets … is an essential preparedness action in the case of a radiological emergency.”
The tablets, which should only be taken when advised by a public health or emergency official, help protect the thyroid gland from harmful radioactive iodine. The Health Department said the tablets are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, infants, and people taking thyroid medication.
Beam noted the pills are not an adequate substitution for evacuation in case of an emergency at one of the facilities. Potassium iodide only protects the thyroid, not other parts of the body, according to the CDC. In addition, the tablets do not prevent radioactive iodine from entering the body, nor do they reverse its effects. And while table salt is rich in iodine, it is not an adequate substitute to block harmful radiation.
The tablets fill up a person’s thyroid with stable iodine, preventing the gland from absorbing radioactive iodine for up to 24 hours.
The Keystone State has four active nuclear facilities: Beaver Valley Power Station, Limerick Generating Station, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, and Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.
A fifth nuclear facility, the Three Mile Island Generation Station, closed in September 2019. As a result, the state will not provide tablets for people living or working within a 10-mile radius of the shutdown station.
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