Key Issues
Science Proves Potassium Iodide Unnecessary Beyond 10 Miles of a Nuclear Power Plant
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Health Department Issues KI Guidance
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published guidance on the use of KI in the event of exposure to radioactive iodine. It updated 1982 guidance published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
HHS said that “across populations at risk for radioiodine exposure, the overall benefits of KI far exceed the risks of overdosing, especially in children.” However, the agency warned of the overdose risk to infants and fetuses and emphasized the need for caution. HHS stated that individuals over 40 years of age “need take KI only in the case of a large projected internal radiation dose to the thyroid”—a type of exposure that is avoidable.
HHS guidance underscores the need for a meticulous, science-based approach to using KI as a protective measure.
2002 Law States KI Should Be Available Beyond 10-Mile EPZ
The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 states that the federal government “shall make available to state and local governments [KI] tablets for stockpiling and for distribution as appropriate to public facilities, such as schools and hospitals, in quantities sufficient to provide adequate protection for the population within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant.” The law also states that the government may waive the KI requirement if it determines there is a more effective way to protect the thyroid from exposure to radioactive iodine.
The law’s designation of a 20-mile limit is at odds with the technical basis for nuclear plant emergency preparedness that the multi-agency federal task force established in 1978. The task force concluded that residents living more than 10 miles from a nuclear plant are not at significant risk from direct exposure to any radioactive materials that may be released. The primary source for possible radioactive exposure to people beyond the 10-mile EPZ is through the food chain, and emergency plans are in place to limit that possibility.
After thoroughly evaluating the science and policy issues related to KI, the OSTP issued a decision on Jan. 22, 2008, invoking the waiver. “I have determined that a more effective preventive measure does exist for the extended zone covered by the Act, namely avoidance of exposure altogether through evacuation of the potentially affected population and interdiction of contaminated food,” wrote OSTP Director John Marburger. He said the probability of a release of radioactive iodine was not at issue, only the potential consequences. However, he noted, “The risk of a severe release of radioactive iodine 10-20 miles from a [nuclear power plant] is on the order of one-in-a-million to one-in-ten-million.”
Health Department Issues KI Guidance
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published guidance on the use of KI in the event of exposure to radioactive iodine. It updated 1982 guidance published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
HHS said that “across populations at risk for radioiodine exposure, the overall benefits of KI far exceed the risks of overdosing, especially in children.” However, the agency warned of the overdose risk to infants and fetuses and emphasized the need for caution. HHS stated that individuals over 40 years of age “need take KI only in the case of a large projected internal radiation dose to the thyroid”—a type of exposure that is avoidable.
HHS guidance underscores the need for a meticulous, science-based approach to using KI as a protective measure.
2002 Law States KI Should Be Available Beyond 10-Mile EPZ
The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 states that the federal government “shall make available to state and local governments [KI] tablets for stockpiling and for distribution as appropriate to public facilities, such as schools and hospitals, in quantities sufficient to provide adequate protection for the population within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant.” The law also states that the government may waive the KI requirement if it determines there is a more effective way to protect the thyroid from exposure to radioactive iodine.
The law’s designation of a 20-mile limit is at odds with the technical basis for nuclear plant emergency preparedness that the multi-agency federal task force established in 1978. The task force concluded that residents living more than 10 miles from a nuclear plant are not at significant risk from direct exposure to any radioactive materials that may be released. The primary source for possible radioactive exposure to people beyond the 10-mile EPZ is through the food chain, and emergency plans are in place to limit that possibility.
After thoroughly evaluating the science and policy issues related to KI, the OSTP issued a decision on Jan. 22, 2008, invoking the waiver. “I have determined that a more effective preventive measure does exist for the extended zone covered by the Act, namely avoidance of exposure altogether through evacuation of the potentially affected population and interdiction of contaminated food,” wrote OSTP Director John Marburger. He said the probability of a release of radioactive iodine was not at issue, only the potential consequences. However, he noted, “The risk of a severe release of radioactive iodine 10-20 miles from a [nuclear power plant] is on the order of one-in-a-million to one-in-ten-million.”
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