Free Potassium Iodide Available To Harford Co. Residents At Distribution Event

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Residents of Harford County who live or work within 10 miles of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station can receive free potassium iodide (KI) from the Harford County Health Department during an upcoming distribution event.

The event will be held at North Harford High School, 211 Pylesville Rd. in Pylesville, on Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eligible residents will be required to fill out a short distribution form in order to receive their doses. Both adult and child doses will be available.

“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 Harford County Health Department’s Public Health Emergency Coordinator Lisa Swank.

KI is a salt of stable, not radioactive, iodine that is an important chemical needed by the body to make thyroid hormones and is 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.

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, the health department stated.