Key Issues
Science Proves Potassium Iodide Unnecessary Beyond 10 Miles of a Nuclear Power Plant
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Conclusion
U.S. nuclear power plants have sophisticated emergency preparedness plans to protect the public in the event of a reactor accident. A federal task force concluded in 1978 that a 10-mile radius around the plant is appropriate to protect the public. The primary protective measures in the 10-mile zone are evacuation and sheltering. KI may be used as a secondary measure, if a release of radioactive iodine is expected or has occurred. It can protect only the thyroid—a fact that must be made clear to those who take it so they do not fail to take other recommended protective actions.
Beyond that distance, public health would not be threatened directly by a radioactive release because any material would be widely dispersed in the air mass.
Conclusion
U.S. nuclear power plants have sophisticated emergency preparedness plans to protect the public in the event of a reactor accident. A federal task force concluded in 1978 that a 10-mile radius around the plant is appropriate to protect the public. The primary protective measures in the 10-mile zone are evacuation and sheltering. KI may be used as a secondary measure, if a release of radioactive iodine is expected or has occurred. It can protect only the thyroid—a fact that must be made clear to those who take it so they do not fail to take other recommended protective actions.
Beyond that distance, public health would not be threatened directly by a radioactive release because any material would be widely dispersed in the air mass.
