Region readying distribution of KI pills
Potassium iodine tablets would be used in event of nuclear emergency
Warren Leonard, the director of the Durham Emergency Management Office, says the region has a plan in place in the event of a nuclear emergency. In years past, there have been several incidents at the nuclear generating station in Pickering, including one a senate committee dubbed the most serious in Canadian history.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
Many Oshawa residents will start seeing a lot more blue in the near future.
This is because the region is starting its campaign of notifying the public of the upcoming distribution of potassium iodine pills, better known as KI pills, next month.
The pills’ distribution is part of a directive from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, mandating that all homes and businesses within a 10-kilometre range of a nuclear generating station be provided with them by 2016.
Durham Region contains two nuclear generating stations: one in Pickering and the other in Darlington.
The pills work by reducing the risk of thyroid cancer in the event of that radioactive iodines are released.
Although the pills had been available free of charge for the past decade at several pharmacies in the region, the pills will now be in the hands of thousands of people in the event the worst case scenario comes to pass.
Starting shortly, the region will be posting advertisements in various forums to prepare residents for the upcoming arrival of KI pills. The blue ads will be seen on public transportation, in print and online. Residents will also be receiving a letter in the mail to notify them of the pills and what they’re for.
The pills themselves are set to begin arriving at homes next month, and should be kept with other emergency supplies.
Information is also available at preparetobesafe.ca, or by calling the regional health department’s environmental health line at 1-888-777-9613.