Nuke Pills Part of Disaster Plan

Like several other states, Ohio is moving ahead with plans to provide anti-cancer pills to people who live near nuclear power plants, just in case an accident or terrorist attack spills radiation. Health officials have made a key decision about when the pills will be passed out. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:

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Like several other states, Ohio is moving ahead with plans to provide anti-cancer pills to people who live near nuclear power plants, just in case an accident or terrorist attack spills radiation. Health officials have made a key decision about when the pills will be passed out. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:

The 150-thousand people who are neighbors of the 3 nuclear plants serving Ohio won’t have to flee first to evacuation centers to get hold of the pills that protect against thyroid cancer. Health officials have decided to help distribute the potassium iodide pills this fall, hopefully before any crisis.

At three public hearings last month, residents and local emergency officials made it clear they wanted the pills in their medicine cabinet or their desk drawer at work…just in case of a disaster. Health officials say they’ll go along…but they’re stressing – evacuation is still the top priority…swallowing the pills can come later.

The federal government has agreed to pay for this first round of pills for any state that requests them…but the states may have to pick up the tab for replacements when the pills lose their effectiveness after a few years.

For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Bill Cohen.

Stocking Up on Nuke Accident Pills

The federal government is offering to buy special anti-cancer pills for people who live near nuclear power plants. There are 24 nuclear power plants in the Great Lakes states… and state officials are now pondering whether to accept the offer. In Ohio, the debate reflects the pro and con arguments across the region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen has details:

Meltdown Pills

This summer, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission began encouraging statesto begin stockpiling certain pills in the event of a nuclear accident.Some eastern states have already started putting the medicine in theiremergency centers and now those drugs are coming to the Midwest. TheGreat Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen has the story:

A Summer Camp for the Children of Chernobyl

For many kids, summer camp means living in rustic cabins and taking part in outdoor activities. But some children are taking a break away from home to help them recover from the results of the Chernobyl accident. For the sixth year in a row, children from Belarus and Ukraine are spending the summer with families in Ohio…a visit some people believe is a matter of life or death. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Kevin Niedermier has more: