Anti-radiation drug will be offered to US states
Date: 24-Dec-01
Country: USA
The drug has been shown to protect the body's thyroid gland if taken soon after radiation exposure.
Rep. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who has long criticized what he terms inadequate safety provisions at nuclear power plants, is among several lawmakers who have urged stricter security measures at the plants since the deadly Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Nuclear plants, which rank among the nation's most closely guarded facilities, are of particular concern because an attack could spew radioactive contamination over an area covering hundreds of square miles.
The regulatory commission said it had earmarked $800,000 to buy potassium iodide supplies for people living within about 10 miles (16 km) of a nuclear plant. The United States has 103 nuclear power plants.
"The commission has found that potassium iodide is a reasonable, prudent and inexpensive supplement to evacuation and sheltering for specific local conditions," a statement said.
The drug will be given to states that request it within 30 days, according to the commission.
Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee already have potassium iodide stockpiled for people living near nuclear plants as part of emergency preparedness programs.
The agency took the action a month after Markey urged the federal government to stock the drug at homes and public buildings within 50 miles (80 km) of a nuclear plant.
The Nuclear Control Institute, an activist group, said a direct, high-speed crash by a large passenger jet would likely penetrate the concrete walls of up to 4-1/2 feet (1.35 metres) that protect a nuclear plant's reactor.
Separately, Congress approved an extra $36 million in funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission so it could assess security at nuclear power plants.
The funds were included in a $20 billion supplemental spending bill for the Defense Department that was agreed on by House and Senate negotiators. The agency will study the safety design of nuclear plants security in the transportation, storage and use of nuclear materials.
