UNDATED -- It’s just a precaution, but its sure to make people who live or work within ten miles of a nuclear power plant in Michigan a little squeamish, they will soon receive free potassium iodide tablets. The Michigan Department of Community Health says that the pills -- which help protect the thyroid gland from radiation during a nuclear accident -- have been stockpiled by the state for some time, but there wasn’t enough money for them to be distributed.
However, a recent donation from the companies that run Michigan’s three nuclear plants now means that residents near any of them will be getting flyers in the mail with information on how they can get a voucher to pick up some of the pills for free. Previously, the state had planned to hand out the tablets only if there was an accident at one of the plants. There are three nuclear power facilities in Michigan -- the Cook plant in Bridgman, the Palisades plant in Covert Township, and the Fermi Two plant near Newport.
The state will begin sending out information on the potassium iodide pills later this month, and they should be available in early October.
