News Herald/ABIGAIL
BOBROW
Port Clinton residents Abigail Barker, 6, and
her grandmother, Cheryl McMurray, stop by the Ottawa County
Health Department to pick up their potassium iodide or KI
pills.
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PORT CLINTON -- Alarmed by recent news reports, Benton Township
resident Alan Perry picked up a pair of KI pill packets Friday,
preparing for the worst.
Perry and his wife, Carol, can now safeguard their thyroid glands
against radioactivity. KI pills, or potassium iodide, help defend
the thyroid in case of a nuclear accident. And the Ottawa County
Health Department is distributing 140,000 pills -- free of charge --
to those living within 10 miles of Davis-Besse Nuclear Power
Station.
"I'm glad they're doing something about it," Perry said, foil
packets in hand. "I'm kind of disheartened about all the problems
they're having at Davis-Besse. Everyone seems to be blaming
everybody else for what's going on out there.
"I hope that they get their act together with the (Nuclear)
Regulatory Commission and get that straightened out."
The plant was in the middle of a planned shutdown in February
2002 when maintenance workers found a hole in the reactor head
caused by a boric acid leak. The plant remains closed until NRC
officials are satisfied that problems leading to the incident have
been resolved.
County officials mailed pill coupons to about 9,000 households
earlier this month. By 3:10 p.m. Friday, about 300 people had
redeemed their vouchers during the health department's inaugural KI
clinic, Health Commissioner Nancy Osborn said.
"Once the coupons went out the first week of January, we've been
fielding quite a number of calls," Osborn said. "Potassium iodide is
another prevention, in case there was an accident.
"You take your pill -- and leave."
In event of a Davis-Besse nuclear emergency, Osborn said
residents should eat one pill while evacuating. Each pill provides
24 hours of thyroid gland protection, and all those within the
10-mile zone are entitled to receive two pills.
After the KI clinics end Tuesday, people can pick up pills at
these pharmacies from Jan. 25 to Feb. 1:
Pills N' Packages, 350 Rice St., Elmore (419-862-2982).
IGA Community Market, 279 Water St., Oak Harbor (419-898-4891).
Rite Aid, 306 Water St., Oak Harbor (419-898-3911).
Bassett's IGA, 3994 E. Harbor Road,
Portage Township (419-732-6300).
Green's Pharmacy, 200 Madison St., Port Clinton (419-732-3151).
The Pharm, 1848 E. Perry St., Port Clinton (419-734-5594).
Wal-Mart, 4070 E. Harbor Road, Portage Township (419-732-3866).
Rite Aid, 1626 E. Perry St., Port Clinton (419-734-5583).
Kroger, 2028 E. Harbor Road, Portage Township (419-734-5597).
Kroger, 3301 Navarre Ave., Oregon (419-691-7034).
After Feb. 1, Osborn said pills will be available via the health
department and a select list of pharmacies.
The pills' shelf life extends through May 2007. They were made
available through a Nuclear Regulatory Commission program.
Federal Drug Administration-approved pills can also be purchased
online at http://www.anbexdistributing.com,www.affordable-potassium-iodide.com/
http://www.nukepills.com/
and http://www.drugstore.com/
For more information, call the health department at 419-734-6800
or 1-800-788-8803.
Contact staff writer Rick Neale at 419-734-7506 or mailto:rneale@fremont.gannett.com
Originally published Saturday, January 18, 2003
