The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the Town of Amherstburg will be starting Potassium Iodide pill distribution in the primary zone near the nuclear generating station.
Residents in the zone, 16.1 km from Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station (Fermi 2), will begin getting the pills on May 7.
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 pills would help to prevent the long term development of thyroid cancer.
Residents that live within the primary zone and on Boblo Island will be receiving letters this week with details inviting them to pick up free KI pills for their home and ask any questions they may have.
The health unit says if you do not receive a letter inviting you to pick up KI pills, your home does not fall within the primary zone.
Residents living within the secondary zone will have an opportunity to receive pills for their home in the near future.
KI pills 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.
Health unit officials say the risk has not changed at Fermi 2, however what has changed is the regulatory framework for Canadian nuclear installations.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has mandated that all residents within the primary zone of a nuclear installation have KI pills available in their homes.
While Fermi 2 is not regulated by the CNSC, health unit and town officials want the residents living within the primary zone of Fermi 2 to be as prepared as all other Canadian residents.
For more information on KI pills and KI distribution, please visit www.wechu.org/KI or call 519-258-2146 ext. 4445.
