Potassium Iodide Pill Distribution To Start For Windsor And Essex County Wednesday

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 2275 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will be starting KI pill distribution in all of Windsor and Essex County on Wednesday, October 17th, 2018.

KI pills block the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine, which may be released during a nuclear incident. In the very unlikely event of a nuclear emergency, KI tablets would help to prevent the long term development of thyroid cancer.

The Health Unit stresses that the risk has not changed at the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station (Fermi 2) or Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, however what has changed is the regulatory framework for Canadian nuclear installations. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has mandated that residents within the secondary zone of a nuclear installation have KI pills available in their homes, if they so choose.

While Fermi 2 and Davis-Besse are not regulated by the CNSC, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the Community Emergency Management Coordinators of Windsor-Essex County want the residents living within the secondary zone of Fermi 2 and Davis-Besse to be as prepared as all other Canadian residents.

In the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency involving a release of radioactive iodine, residents within the secondary zone will receive instructions from local and provincial authorities. KI tablets are only to be taken if instructed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario. They should be stored in a safe, dry, and accessible place along with your 72-hour emergency kit.

Residents of Windsor and Essex County can now sign up to request their KI Pills by:

• Completing the KI Request Form and Consent at www.wechu.org/KI
• Calling 519-258-2146 ext. 4445