NUCLEAR PRESCRIPTION
New pills to help protect A’burg from radiation
Amherstburg residents living within a 16-kilometre radius of Michigan’s Enrico Fermi nuclear plant will receive potassium iodine (KI) pills as a protective measure in the event of a nuclear emergency.
According to a new regulation by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, KI pills must be distributed to those living within what’s defined as the primary zone of a nuclear facility.
“There is no immediate risk,” Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the associate medical officer with the Windsor-Essex Health Unit, said Friday. “Nothing new is happening but this is an important thing for our community. It’s something people need to be aware of and they need to co-operate with us and help us with the distribution plan.”
Potassium iodine is approved by the American Thyroid Association as a treatment for exposure to radioactive iodine.
According to the ATA’s website, taking potassium iodine prevents the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine which can be released into the air during a nuclear fallout.
Residents in the area commonly known as Amherst Point and on Boblo Island received a handdelivered flyer this week outlining the KI pill distribution and a forthcoming community survey on nuclear preparedness.
Graduate student researcher Donna Desantis delivered 255 flyers in an area south of County Road 20 and another 150 on Boblo Island.
“It is important to note that the risk has not changed at Fermi 2 and the pre-distribution of KI pills is simply a precautionary measure in the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency,” the notice reads.
Pill distribution is still weeks or months away since the health unit is in negotiations with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care over who will pay for it all.
“They’re reviewing our proposal and we’re waiting on the ministry to give us the go-ahead,” Ahmed said. “We want our citizens to receive the same level of care as any other jurisdiction in Ontario. We’re hoping to hear from them fairly soon.”
For other Canadian communities with a nuclear facility, providing and distributing KI pills is the financial responsibility of the nuclear installation.
“Our situation is very unique because the nuclear plant we come under is not on Canadian soil,” Ahmed said. “It makes the situation more complicated.”
Providing KI pills to Amherstburg residents is not mandated by existing Canadian regulations.
Ahmed was out of town Friday and did not know the exact cost of the plan. He did say each pill costs $20-$25 with a shelf life of either five or 10 years.
Two maps showing Boblo Island and a shoreline area south of County Rd. 20 were included in the flyer. The Amherst Point area is listed as falling inside Fermi’s 10mile (16.1-km) primary zone.
Boblo does not fall within the primary zone but was included in the pill distribution plan because of its unique geographical location with access only by boat or ferry.
“We are just trying to develop our plan in the very small event that something happens,” said Lee Tome, the town’s deputy fire chief who’s leading the effort to update Amherstburg ’s nuclear emergency procedures.
“The KI pills are another tool in our tool box.”
Earlier this week, council received a report from Tome on the town’s nuclear emergency procedures, which haven’t been updated since 1998.
DTE Energy operates Fermi 2 and annually gives the town $25,000 toward a response plan.
Tome said developing an updated plan will cost more than double that amount. Town officials have been working with the provincial and federal levels of government to acquire the necessary funding for training, equipment and personnel.
Under provincial regulations, nuclear installations in Ontario must provide funding for the emergency response plans in neighbouring communities.
“What we’re looking for is the same type of response capabilities that exist elsewhere in Ontario,” Tome said. “Fermi gives US$25,000 but they don’t have to. They’re being good corporate citizens. We’re looking for the province to work with us on our resource needs.”
Mayor Aldo DiCarlo has been dealing with this issue for several years now.
“The last time I checked, we were the only municipality in Canada with nuclear exposure from another country,” DiCarlo said. “Here we are with possible exposure from the U.S. and there’s nothing that our own country is doing about it.
“I don’t blame Fermi. They’ve done their part. We’ve gotten more from them than our own country. ”
“DiCarlo believes the province should fund the town’s nuclear emergency response plan or negotiate for more money from the U.S.
“We need the province to step in and do something,” he said. “I don’t think it’s up to the Town of Amherstburg to start negotiating with the United States of America to fund our emergency plan.”
John Byard is a co-ordinator for Durham Region’s emergency management office. He said the response plan for a region that includes the Pickering Nuclear Station and the Darlington Nuclear Station is updated annually and a “substantial part” is funded by those two facilities.
Tome wants what he sees elsewhere in Ontario.
“We’ve identified a number of gaps and we’re working on fixing those gaps and funding is one of those issues,” Tome said. “We’ve made a lot of progress since we started in November of 2015 and the provincial government has assisted us in moving forward. The biggest challenge is determining the funding mechanism for this.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said his office has not provided any financial support but is investing significant staffing resources and time to assist the town. “Work is ongoing to support planning, training, public education and emergency exercise enhancements within the town of Amherstburg to ensure that adequate resources and capabilities to provide for a nuclear emergency response are available,” Brent Ross said.
Desantis and members of the Amherstburg fire department will start conducting the door-to-door survey in the affected areas next week.
Our situation is very unique because the nuclear plant we come under is not on Canadian soil.