The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) in partnership with the Town of Amherstburg is encouraging all residents to have a supply of potassium iodide (KI) pills in their households.
A section of Amherstburg is in the primary zone (within 16.1 km) of the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station located in Michigan. 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, the WECHU and the Town of Amherstburg want the residents to be as prepared as all other Canadian residents.
KI is a stable iodine salt and is effective in blocking 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.
KI pills are most effective if taken just before or soon after exposure to radioactive iodine, therefore it’s important for each household to have a supply of these pills.
The WECHU is asking all Town of Amherstburg and Boblo Island residents who live in the primary zone to pick up KI pills for their household as the previously obtained pills are nearing their expiration date. The expired pills can be discarded in household garbage or dropped off at a pharmacy.
The pickup locations for KI pills in Amherstburg are Libro Centre (3295 Meloche Road) and Town Hall (271 Sandwich Street South). KI pills are also available at WECHU locations in Windsor (1005 Ouellette Avenue) and Leamington (33 Princess Street).
All locations are accessible during regular working hours.
The pills should be stored in a safe, dry and accessible place along with a 72-hour emergency kit and should be taken only when instructed by the Medical Officer of Health.
For information on which households are located in the primary zone, KI pills and KI pill distribution, please visit www.wechu.org/KI or call 519-258-2146 ext. 4445.
—Submitted by the Windsor-Essex
County Health Unit
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