Protective Tablets Available in Event of Nuke Plant Failure

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said Friday it will provide protective doses of potassium iodide to persons who live within the 10-mile emergency zone surrounding the state's nuclear power plants.

Pickens County residents who live within the Emergency Planning Zone of the Oconee Nuclear Station near Seneca are eligible to receive free doses of potassium iodide, which helps protect individuals from radioactive damage to the thyroid gland, DHEC said.

“Potassium iodide provides additional protection for the thyroid gland against one form of radiation,” according to DHEC Director Catherine Templeton. “It is critical to remember this is not a magic pill that protects against all types of radiation. In the event of a nuclear power plant emergency involving the release of radiation, the best advice is to follow the instructions of public safety officials to either stay inside or to evacuate the area in an orderly manner.”

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has provided the doses to the state for distribution. Supplies of these potassium iodide tablets, also referred to as KI tablets, are being distributed to health departments in 13 SC counties for residents living within a 10-mile radius of nuclear power plants. 

Residents can pick up tablets for themselves and their families beginning Monday, April 29th. Participation by the public is voluntary.

In Pickens County, people can pick up the tablets at the county health department, located at 200 McDaniel Ave. in Pickens. The phone number is 864-898-5965.

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles of Oconee was 66,307, an increase of 11.5 percent in a decade, according to U.S. Census data. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles was 1,404,690, an increase of 14.8 percent since 2000.

The greatest natural risks to the Oconee plant are seismic activity and a failure of the Jocassee dam — though the risks are considered extremely low.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Oconee was 1 in 23,256, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.

Duke Energy, which operates the plant, has said the risk of flooding from a dam failure is nearly impossible, though a Greenville News report earlier this month outlined emails that showed concerns over flooding have been an issue at the plant for years. 

If it happened, a flood of the station's three reactor cores could lead to a release of radioactivity over the course of several hours, with core failure possible within days leading to a greater release of radioactivity. 

However, Duke spokeswoman B.J. Gatten told the Greenville News, “Since 2008, Duke has made flood-protection modifications, and the NRC has inspected those modifications and found them to be acceptable.”

More info on the KI tablet distribution here.