As a result of nuclear safety recommendations set forth by federal authorities, CK Public Health will be providing potassium iodide (KI) tablets to be used in the extremely unlikely case of a nuclear disaster.
These tablets will be available to all addresses within the defined ‘ingestion planning zone’ which covers an 80-kilometre radius from Enrico Fermi II in Monroe County, Michigan, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, and Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio.
Currently, there are 4,696 addresses in West Kent and Rondeau Provincial Park, which are located within this zone and are therefore eligible to receive KI tablets.
These tablets are designed to be taken during a nuclear event in order to reduce the risk of thyroid disorders should people be exposed to radioactive material.
The tablets are most beneficial to residents under the age of 40 but will be offered to any individual that resides within the radius zone and wishes to receive them. An order to take the tablets would come from Provincial authorities and would include other instructions to follow at the time.
Taking a KI tablet will load your thyroid gland with stable iodine, which is a very important element that we need to create some of our hormones.
This will prevent any radioactive iodine from being taken up by your thyroid gland and will help prevent the risk of thyroid cancer or other thyroid illnesses later in life.
CK Public Health officials stress that we are no more at risk of a nuclear incident today than we were yesterday or for the past several decades, and this KI tablet distribution process is simply an enhancement in our safety and precautionary practices.
Eligible residents can pre-order their tablets by calling 519-360-1998 or, by using the online ordering system at www.ckpublichealth.com/kitablets.
Once ordered, CK Public Health officials will be distributing the tablets based on the schedule below.
Details about distribution to affected Rondeau Provincial Park addresses will be released as plans are finalized.
Any eligible residents who choose to receive the tablets will also receive a handbook with instructions on how and when to take them, as well as how to store them.
This distribution program will be an ongoing effort with annual communication and the option to order more tablets as needed or when the current tablets reach their expiration date.
For more information, residents are encouraged to call 519-360-1998, visit www.ckpublichealth.com/kitablets or email ki@chatham-kent.ca .
