Wednesday, May. 19, 2010

Nuke plant's neighbors get pills

KI pills can reduce the risk of thyroid cancer from radiation.

Hundreds of Triangle residents who live near the Shearon Harris nuclear plant stocked up Saturday on emergency tablets they hope they never have to use.

Health officials in four counties surrounding Progress Energy's nuclear plant distributed the free pills to replace ones issued in 2003 that have expired. The potassium iodide pills, commonly known as KI pills, can reduce the risk of thyroid cancer from radiation exposure.

For many it was a new experience to visit a distribution center staffed by public health officials to pick up anti-radiation pills. Entire suburbs have arisen on former cow pastures since the first round of pills went out.

The distribution of free KI pills, like the emergency evacuation route road signs in the area, are the occasional reminders of the nuclear neighbor whose cooling tower emits a steady white billow of steam.

But residents shrugged at the possibility of a serious accident at Shearon Harris, saying the chances were remote.

Still, they dutifully picked up 1,609 pills, one per person, at three high schools in Wake County, and the county health department will be distributing them again next Saturday for those who couldn't make it out this weekend. The pills were also being distributed by health officials in Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties, and they are available during the week at county health department offices.

"I've been waiting to do this seven years because the pamphlet the plant sends out says that you should," said Kim Scanlon, a resident of Holly Springs who picked up hers at Holly Ridge Middle School.

About 123,000 people live within the nuclear plant's Emergency Planning Zone, a fast-growing residential area that extends 10 miles from the power plant and encompasses 18 public schools. When the Shearon Harris plant began generating electricity in 1986, only about 15,000 people lived in the so-called EPZ.

In addition to distributing pills, state and local emergency preparedness officials are also required to evacuate the area in an emergency. During an evacuation, police would block access to schools and redirect parents to pick up their kids at designated sites, said Brian McFeaters, Wake County's disaster preparedness coordinator.

"The number one thing is, if there's a problem with the plant, we want people to evacuate," McFeaters said.

Wake County, which has the greatest population near the nuclear plant, has received 90,000 KI pills from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Officials had 5,000 pills ready at each of three distribution sites Saturday. The county will deliver pills to schools within the EPZ next week, and will provide them to daycare centers and businesses that have 50 employees or more.

A common question among residents: Should I get a pill for my pet? (Answer: No.)

Residents are instructed not to take the pills unless officials announce an emergency. KI pills, also available online and over-the-counter, are the only treatment available to protect against radiation exposure. The pills protect a single organ, the thyroid, and do not provide immunity to the rest of the body.

"Your thyroid would still be here, but the rest of you would be melted," joked Matt Gasell of Holly Springs who picked up pills at Holly Ridge Middle School.

Robert Goldsobel of Holly Springs picked up four pills for his family at Fuquay-Varina High School. Goldsobel moved here from Los Angeles three years ago and is used to disaster awareness, particularly earthquakes. "I figured it doesn't hurt to have them," he said. "Being from California, you want to be prepared."

The pills distributed in 2003 expired four years later, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized an extension for the expiration date. The pills distributed this month will expire in 2014 unless the FDA issues another extension.

Taking a KI pill unnecessarily would have no adverse effect on most people. But the pills can have effects for some, including upset stomach, allergic reactions and rashes.

"You can get the equivalent iodide that's in this pill if you eat three lobster tails," McFeaters said. "But you can't store a lobster tail for an emergency."