News
1/18/2011 - Pills Offered To Residents Near Nuclear Plant
People who live within 10 miles of the nuclear power plant complex in Salem County can obtain free potassium iodide pills from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 18th at the Emergency Management Building located at 1000 Ye Greate Street in Greenwich.
The Cumberland County Health Department is distributing the pills for the first time since 2007.
Officials say any radiation leak could result in possible exposure to anyone within a 10-mile radius of the Salem Nuclear Generating Station. That includes residents of Shiloh, Stow Creek and Greenwich.
Potassium iodide pills can stop a person's thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine, which can cause thyroid cancer. In the event of a nuclear emergency, there are plans in place for evacuation and sheltering.
"We are very concerned of the health and safety of our community members residing near the nuclear generating center," said Stanley Bagan, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Health. "We encourage these families to take the necessary precautions to prepare for any possible emergencies."
For more information, call the Cumberland County Health Department at (856) 327-7602 or the Office of Emergency Management at (856) 455-8770, or visit www.cshealth.org or www.ready.nj.gov.