The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit encourages everyone living within the primary and secondary zones of nuclear installations Fermi 2 or Davis-Besse to get their supply of iodide (KI) tablets.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) requires that all residents within the primary zone of a nuclear installation have potassium iodide tablets in their homes.
* Please note that the risk has NOT changed at Fermi 2 or Davis-Besse. It is the regulatory framework for Canadian nuclear installations that has changed.
Regulations for KI distribution in Canada
“The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has recently established a national standard for KI pill distribution. Nuclear power plant licensees are required to ensure that KI pills are pre-distributed to individuals living or working near a nuclear power plant,” according to the Government of Canada website.
“The Province of Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal & Emergency Management (OFMEM) and the New Brunswick Emergency Management Organization (NBEMO) are working towards developing a strategy to fulfill these requirements.”
The nuclear installations are not regulated by the CNSC, but the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the local municipalities want residents living within the primary zone and secondary zones to be as prepared as all other Canadian residents living near a nuclear installation need to be.
Primary Zone
Amherstburg residents living within the primary zone (16.1 km from Fermi 2) and Boblo Island can pick up KI pills at:
* Libro Centre, 3295 Meloche Road, Amherstburg, ON N9V 2Y8
* Town Hall (Amherstburg), 271 Sandwich Street South, Amherstburg, ON N9V 2A5
Secondary Zone
All residents of Windsor and Essex County who live within the secondary zone (80km from Fermi 2 and Davis-Besse), can pick up KI pills at the following WECHU locations:
* Windsor Office, 1005 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, ON N9A 4J8
* Leamington Office, 33 Princess Street, Leamington, ON N8H 5C5
For more information, or to order pills online go to https://www.wechu.org/nuclear/potassium-iodide-ki-distribution
In-person pick-up is available at select locations. It’s not necessary to fill out an online form when picking up in person.
According to the Health Unit, if you previously have gotten KI pills, they will be expiring soon. When you have received new KI pills, expired KI pills can be safely thrown in the garbage or you can drop them off at a pharmacy.
To learn more about potassium iodide, go to https://www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca/eng/resources/educational-resources/feature-articles/potassium-iodide-ki-pills/
If you have questions, call the Health Unit at (519) 258-2146 ext. 4445, or or email weki@wechu.org.
Image: Government of Canada