Free Potassium Iodide Pills For Harford County Residents Near Atomic Power Plant

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Children and adults who live or work within 10 miles of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station can receive free potassium iodide from the Harford County Health Department during a special distribution event Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Harford High School.

Eligible residents will be required to fill out a short distribution form in order to receive their doses. Potassium iodide, or KI, is a salt of stable, not radioactive, iodine which is needed by the body to make thyroid hormones and is a stable iodine in tablet form. KI works by blocking radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. Once absorbed by the thyroid gland, the gland becomes “full” and cannot absorb any more iodine, either stable or radioactive, for the next 24 hours, explained the county health department.

Residents should not use iodized table salt as a substitute for KI because "it does not contain enough iodine to block radioactive iodine from getting into your thyroid gland," the health department noted.

“Community KI Distribution is an initiative to supplement the county emergency plans in the event of an incident where radiation is released from the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. While evacuation will remain the primary strategy by which to safeguard the public, the KI will offer citizens a way to protect their thyroid, which is a vital hormone gland that plays a major role in the metabolism, growth and development of the human body,” said Lisa Swank, the county health department’s public health emergency coordinator, Lisa Swank.

Residents who have previously received KI tablets should discard their old, expired KI tablets and are encouraged to attend the event to pick up new tablets. The proper method to dispose of KI is by throwing the tablets away in the household trash and should not by flushed down the toilet or sink.

Below is a map released by the county health department of the area within a 10-mile radius of the power station.

For more information about this event, visit www.harfordcountyhealth.com or contact the health department’s emergency preparedness program at 410-877-1028.