Key Issues

Science Proves Potassium Iodide Unnecessary Beyond 10 Miles of a Nuclear Power Plant

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February 2010

Key Points

The primary protective actions in the event of a nuclear plant accident are evacuation or sheltering of residents who live in the 10-mile emergency planning zone (EPZ). These actions protect the whole body from any type of radioactive exposure. Potassium iodide (KI) is an option as a secondary measure within the 10-mile EPZ to protect the thyroid gland against exposure to radioactive iodine; KI provides no other radiation protection.

A 2002 law states that the federal government will provide KI to state and local governments should they wish to distribute the compound in the area 10 to 20 miles from a nuclear power plant. The law also includes an option to waive the KI program if the federal government concludes there is a more effective way to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) invoked this waiver in January 2008, saying interdiction of any contaminated food, along with the consideration of evacuation and sheltering, are more effective protective measures to use in the very unlikely event that people beyond 10 miles of a nuclear plant could be exposed to radioactive iodine.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission evaluated the basis for its emergency preparedness requirements following the terrorist events of Sept. 11, 2001, and concluded that the basis remains valid.

In 2009, the NRC issued a proposed rule that identifies several issues the agency believes require further action in light of the potential for a terrorist event at a nuclear power plant. The proposal does not include any changes related to KI administration. However, the NRC continues to provide KI to states that request it for residents who live in the 10-mile EPZ of a nuclear power plant.

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