Jan 03 - Augusta Chronicle, The

Federal officials are again offering pills that could provide some protection during a nuclear emergency to neighborhoods surrounding two Charlotte, N.C., area nuclear power plants.

The latest round of potassium iodide pills replaces pills offered five years ago that are nearing the end of their shelf life.

The pills would help reduce the risk of thyroid cancer, which can be caused by radiation exposure. But safety experts warn that it is much more important to listen to officials if there is a disaster at a nuclear plant.

"People will think, 'I can take this pill and be radiation- proof, or I can take this pill and I don't have to evacuate,' which is not the case," said Cotton Howell, York County's emergency management director.

The pills are offered for free to the 400,000 people living within 10 miles of the Catawba plant on Lake Wylie and the McGuire plant in Mecklenburg County, N.C.

The first wave of pills are stamped with an expiration date of this year, but tests on control groups of the pills distributed five years ago show they remain viable and could even last 12 or 15 years, federal and state public health officials say.

"All it is is a salt, and it doesn't break down as long as you keep it dry in a foil packet," said Scott Lenhart, the director of health education and emergency planning in Iredell County, N.C.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects to spend about $444,000 for new pills in South Carolina. The cost of new pills in North Carolina has not been determined.

The likelihood of a radiation leak from a power plant big enough to cause serious problems is very slim, said Mr. Howell, who lives within 10 miles of the Catawba plant but doesn't keep pills at his home.

"This came out of Washington a couple of years ago by somebody up there that said, 'We're trying to show we're doing something,' "Mr. Howell said. "It's nothing but a form of salt."

ABOUT POTASSIUM IODIDE

What it does: When taken within hours of a radiation release, potassium iodide can protect against thyroid cancer.

How it works: After a radiological event, radioactive iodine might be breathed into the lungs. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating or drinking, the thyroid gland absorbs it. Radioactive iodine can then injure the thyroid. Because potassium iodiode blocks radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid, it can help protect this gland from injury.

How to get it: Potassium iodide is not a prescription drug, and anybody who wants to can buy it inexpensively, though most pharmacies don't stock it. You can buy it online at a variety of sources.

Are there risks? The FDA has said that in the event of a radiation disaster, the benefits of potassium iodide far outweigh the minimal risks.

For more information on potassium iodide, log on to: www.cdc.gov

Sources: www.About.com ; www.cdc.gov

Originally published by Associated Press.

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