The Durham Region Health Department is reminding residents within 10 kilometers of the Pickering or Darlington nuclear generating stations to ensure they have potassium iodide (KI) tablets.
These tablets are crucial for reducing thyroid cancer risk in the unlikely event of a radioactive iodine release.
Key points:
- KI tablets protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine;
- Residents should only take KI tablets when instructed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health during a nuclear emergency;
- KI tablets are available free of charge at these local pharmacies:
- Bay Ridges Pharmacy, 1794 Liverpool Rd., Pickering
- Pickering Medical Pharmacy, 1885 Glenanna Rd., Pickering
- Liverpool Pharmacy, 725 Krosno Blvd., Pickering
- Global Drug Mart Remedy’s Rx, 130 Waverly Rd., Bowmanville
- Courtice Pharmasave, 2727 Courtice Rd., Courtice
- The risk of a serious nuclear accident is extremely low;
- Specific dosages are provided for different age groups, including pregnant and breastfeeding individuals.
The Health Department emphasizes that having KI tablets on hand is a simple yet effective preparedness measure.
Residents within the designated area are encouraged to take advantage of this free resource to ensure their safety in the highly unlikely event of a nuclear accident
