nuclear-news

Seabrook Nuclear Station’s 10-mile evacuation plan inadequate

Seabrook Station’s 10-mile evacuation zone draws scrutiny , SeaCoast Online, By Max Sullivan
msullivan@seacoastonline.com Aug. 16, 2015   The Massachusetts House of Representatives is considering a bill to extend the emergency planning zone surrounding Seabrook Station nuclear power plant. Some New Hampshire lawmakers support the idea and are considering similar legislation for the Granite State.

The bill, H.2031, would extend the zone to 50 miles out from Seabrook Station in Massachusetts only. There is currently a 10-mile radius around the nuclear plant. Within that radius, first responders receive special training, siren equipment and a supply of potassium iodide pills to be dispersed to counteract some of the health problems caused by exposure to radiation.

Potasium iodide can help block radioactive iodine from being absorbed by the thyroid gland, thus protecting this gland from radiation injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Bill supporters note during the meltdown of the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, American citizens were urged to evacuate at least 50 miles from the site.

The bill is currently in the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health.

Massachusetts state Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives, a Democrat representing the First Essex District, wrote a letter in support of the bill and said she has concerns about the fact only three of her towns, Amesbury, Newburyport and Salisbury, fall within the 10-mile radius. The other towns she represents, Haverhill, Merrimac, Methuen and North Andover, do not have the same emergency resources, she said…….http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150816/NEWS/150819432

August 17, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA