White House May Stop Plan For Anti-Radiation Pills

[babylonsister]

White House May Stop Plan For Anti-Radiation Pills
by Mimi Hall

WASHINGTON - The White House may scrap a plan that would give anti-radiation pills to millions of people, five years after Congress ordered that the tablets be made available to anyone living within 20 miles of a nuclear reactor.

Congress issued the order based on concerns that terrorists could attack a nuclear plant. The government already provided free pills to the 4.7 million people living within 10 miles of a plant, but Congress ordered wider distribution to cover 21.9 million people in 33 states.

Although the White House at the time called potassium iodide pills crucial to preventing thyroid cancer in cases of radiation exposure, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) argues against wider distribution of the drug. According to the NRC, the pills may not be the most effective way to prevent cancer and could undermine confidence in U.S. nuclear plants.

The once-a-day pills protect the thyroid against inhaled or ingested radioactive iodine by saturating it with harmless potassium iodide.

The White House is considering whether to invoke a legal loophole allowing the government to scrap the distribution requirement if there is a better way to prevent thyroid cancer. In July, President Bush instructed his science adviser to make that determination.

Science Adviser John Marburger says he’ll decide within a month.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/23/4746/

[Pathwalker]

1. No more compassionate conservatism, eh?

Sick bastards.

[jojo54]

2. Everybody's expendable.....

except for B*shco and it's croonies, of course.

[NorthernSpy]

3. I bet THEY have anti-radiation pills...

Which we paid for, of course.


x(

[soothsayer]

4. That's it, I'm buying some today. I've been putting it off, but now this

is a pretty good tipping point for me. And enough for the pets, too!

[babylonsister]

5. I don't know; what's the real reason they're stopping them? Are they

worthless? Their buddies not making enough $??

[NutmegYankee]

8. Only works if radioactive iodine is released.

Which is actually more unlikely. They don't stop any other form of radiation. All the pill does is dump a heavy dose of potassium iodide into the body so that the thyroid takes it up and does not take in the radioactive iodine.

[Zookeeper]

11. Where will you buy them?

I asked a pharmacist a couple of years ago and he said they weren't available, as they were all purchased by the government and military.

[NutmegYankee]

12. Ask for them at town hall.

You only need one dose. One dose lasts 24 hours, and by then you had better get out of the area.

[angstlessk]

6. Do RICH people live within 10 miles of a nuclear facility...bet not

I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED TO LOVE THE GREEDY RICH BECAUSE OF SOME FREAKS ON DU! there are non greedy rich..BUT BUSH IS NOT ONE OF THEM!

[NutmegYankee]

7. Actually, Yeah, they do.

They actually live closer. I live within 10 miles of one. You should see the houses even closer.

[angstlessk]

9. bet you aint rich..bet you are upper middle class

and they don't count in bushworld

[NutmegYankee]

10. I'm middle class. Was not implying I was rich.

I was stating I know rich people live within 10 miles of the plant because I myself do as well. I'm a mechanical engineer and middle class. That said, there are a lot of wealthy people living closer to the power plant than me. http://www.dom.com/about/stations/nuclear/millstone/index.jsp

http://www.dom.com/about/stations/nuclear/pdf/millstone_guidebook.pdf (emergency booklet handed out each year)