Iodine tablets to be distributed to every household

Some five million residents in Switzerland will be receiving packets of iodine tablets through the post over the next few weeks. These are to be taken in the event of a nuclear disaster.
 
It is the first time that such tablets are to be distributed to people living between 20 and 50 kilometres away from atomic power stations. Delivery itself will start on Monday 27 October and continue until the end of November. This means that all people living within 50 kilometres of the Mühleberg, Gösgen, Beznau and Leibstadt atomic power stations, all 386,000 people in the canton of Lucerne and 116,000 people in Zug, will get a packet containing 12 iodine tablets free of charge. Companies and public authorities will also receive them. Previously only people living in the northern part of Lucerne received these tablets.
 
Householders are reminded to keep these white pills, marked "Kaliumiodid (potassium iodide) 65 AApot Tabletten" at room temperature in the sealed packaging in which they come and be sure to keep them out of children's reach.
 
Flyers containing information about the tablets in eight languages are being distributed from the middle of this month.
 
The iodine tablets are only to be used in the event of an atomic disaster, when radioactive iodine can be released into the atmosphere and inhaled, accumulating in the thyroid gland.
 
The last time such tablets were distributed was ten years ago, but only to people living with a radius of 20 kilometres of the power stations. (Mühleberg is to the east of Bern, Gösgen is in the easternmost point of the canton of Solothurn, whereas Leibstadt and Beznau are close to each other in the canton of Argovia as can be seen on the map.)
 
The reason the Swiss Federal Council has decided to extend the area where tablets are to be distributed is on account of the disaster in Fukushima in Japan in March 2011. The CHF 30 million bill is to be paid for the operators of the power stations themselves.
 
For its part, Swissnuclear disputes the legality of the operation and says it breaches the principle of proportionality. "Protection of the population is this way is only apparent," it said.
 
Anyone who has any questions about the tablets can find further information on www.jodtabletten.ch, though only in German and French.