MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif -- Maneuvering to safeguard its most-vulnerable residents in the unlikely event of nuclear fallout, the state of California is set to distribute nearly 400,000 potassium iodide tablets to residents and workers within 10 miles of the state's two nuclear plants. Among them - residents and workers at the northern end of the base.
The distribution, planned since summer 2002, is only a precaution and doesn't stem from a heightened threat of terrorism, according to Joe F. Cramer, disaster preparedness coordinator for the base.
"The (tablet) distribution is not related to any increased risk of terrorism," Cramer said. "It's just an increased step based on the risks of living within the emergency planning zone."
The tablets are reserved locally for those living or working within 10 miles of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
The base will issue the tablets several ways. Housing residents within the 10-mile zone will receive their tablets at an April 3 town hall meeting at San Onofre Elementary School. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, workers and military personnel will draw from prepositioned caches of pills in the event of an emergency at the nearby plant.
The base has received enough potassium iodide tablets, commonly known by their chemical symbol, KI, for a two-day supply for each person within the zone.
Those living in the San Onofre housing areas, to include the mobile home park and San Mateo Point, will receive informational mailers from the state and the base with details about KI distribution. Although the state mailer requests that residents order tablets for their households, residents do not need to respond, Cramer said.
Housing residents within the zone can also pick up their tablets from the San Onofre housing office following the initial distribution at the town hall meeting.
"We're trying to make it as easy as possible for our residents," said Joyce S. Maxwell, the housing manager for San Onofre and San Mateo Point. "We realize that a lot of people work, so we are making arrangements to stay later and come in earlier to address that issue."
For military personnel encamped within the zone, area commanders are establishing local caches of pills for conditional distribution.
Most civilians within the zone - including those employed by Marine Corps Community Services, the northern commissary and San Onofre Elementary School - also will draw from caches of tablets. However, contract workers who work within the zone should request tablets from the state.
"Our intent is to have a supply of tablets at any place where we have employees and customers (within the zone)," said Lt. Col. Esta L. Staples, deputy director of the Personal Services Division of MCCS here.
The 10-mile zone includes San Onofre Elementary School, San Onofre housing, San Mateo Point housing, the San Onofre Mobile Home Park, the San Onofre Recreational Beach and cottage area, the Seaside Square Exchange Complex, Christianitos, Camp San Mateo, Camp Talega, Camp Horno, Camp Las Pulgas and Camp Las Flores areas aboard the base.
The KI tablets are formulated to protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine exposure, which causes thyroid cancer - the most common ailment suffered by victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, according to the Los Angeles Times.
State and base officials are emphasizing that KI is not an "anti-radiation" treatment.
"Despite the availability of KI, evacuation or sheltering-in-place are still the most effective means of protecting yourself during a nuclear power plant emergency," said Dallas Jones, director of the state's Office of Emergency Services.
Sheltering-in-place involves remaining indoors; closing all doors, windows and vents; and shutting off all air conditioners, heaters and fans. Pets should be brought indoors as well.
"The base has an emergency management plan that includes plans ... to either shelter-in-place or safely evacuate (residents) to reception areas as the most effective means of protection," said Cramer.
Potassium iodide, the same form of iodine found in table salt, was approved by the Food and Drug and Administration in 1978.
"You can draw an analogy between KI and vitamins: They are both over-the-counter drugs that do not require a prescription," said Navy Lt. Paul R. Allen, director of the Emergency Medicine Division at the Naval Hospital here. "People just need to ensure they wait to take the pills until they have been advised to do so by local authorities."
Use of the tablets is voluntary. To be effective, they should be taken immediately before or within a few hours after exposure to radioactive iodine, Allen said.
"It should not be assumed that just because the emergency sirens have sounded that you should take your KI pills," said Cramer. "In the case of a true emergency, information (on whether to take the pills) will be provided via the public broadcast system or directly via military authorities in the local area."
According to the state, the recommended dosage for adults (to include pregnant or nursing women) age 18 or older is one tablet. Children age 3-18 should take half a tablet; those greater than 154 pounds should take the full adult dose.
"The younger you are, the more important it is to take (the tablets)," said Allen. "Children have a greater need for protection of their thyroid."
Health officials suggest the following method for administering dosages to young children: Crush one tablet in a small bowl and add 4 teaspoons of water, stirring until dissolved. Then add 4 teaspoons of juice, flat cola, chocolate milk or formula to hide the taste. Children ages 1 month to 3 years should take one-fourth of a tablet or 4 teaspoons of the mixture. Infants younger than 1 month should take one-eighth of a tablet or 1 teaspoon of the mixture.
Those who have had thyroid disease, allergies to iodine or shellfish, or skin disorders such as dermatitis, herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis should not take KI tablets.
If stored in a dark, cool place, KI tablets can maintain their potency for up to five years.
The state's decision to provide KI tablets to residents near the San Onofre and Diablo Canyon nuclear plants hinges on a April 2001 Federal Emergency Management Agency policy revision. FEMA previously earmarked the tablets only for emergency responders and workers at nuclear power plants.
According to the L.A. Times, the state received the tablets last summer but waited until deciding the best way to distribute them.
Those living outside the zone who want KI tablets can purchase them online from FDA-approved vendors on the Internet.
To receive information on KI, visit the OES Web site at www.oes.ca.gov. The state of California also has a recorded KI information line - (800) 550-5234 - to answer questions about the program. For questions concerning the base's SONGS Emergency Instructions, call the Base Operations Division at 725-6168.