Got KI in your kit? Pills recommended around Indian Point
A Journal News editorial, TJN
A New York-based health foundation is once again advocating that people who live or work within a 50-mile radius of Indian Point nuclear power plant keep potassium iodide (KI) on hand. It's a smart safety tip, although not everyone agrees with the need to push the pills so far.
On Tuesday, the PATH foundation brought out big-name support former Govs. David Paterson and George Pataki, a Democrat and Republican, respectively for a press conference announcing a new report on the issue. "We cannot minimize the gravity of concern we would have if there was some kind of disaster," said Paterson during the press conference.
Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected a petition to extend Indian Point's primary evacuation zone from the current 10-mile circle to a 25-mile radius; the NRC also declined to establish a 50-mile secondary zone, which would stretch as far north as Kingston and as far south as New York Harbor.
Rockland Emergency Services Program Coordinator Nick Longo Jr. said he didn't find a 50-mile KI distribution zone necessary, but "everyone is entitled to their opinion. ... I have it in my house." Standard distribution is one pill per person in a household in the evacuation zone, but Longo told the Editorial Board that county officials don't ask people for their address and "we don't confirm how many people are in your family for that matter." Some towns and villages in Rockland also have supplies.
http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/05/07/indian-point-westchester-rockland-putnam-potassium-iodide-ki/8834829/