Nine years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, France is calling on residents of nineteen power plants in France to come and pick up iodine tablets at the pharmacy. In addition to evacuation and sheltering measures for populations, taking iodine lozenges is one of the measures to protect people in the event of an accident.
Already in 2016, the nuclear safety authority (ASN) had launched a similar campaign to encourage French people living within a radius of 10 km around a site to acquire iodine. Five months ago, the State, EDF and ASN repeated the operation, but this time within a radius of 10 to 20 km.
Priority target schools
Individuals and establishments open to the public have all received a letter allowing them to request their tablets in one of the pharmacies participating in the operation (list on www.distribution-iode.com).
But to date, only 22% of residents and 60% of schools have removed their boxes. "In the event of a nuclear accident, the release of radioactive iodine into the atmosphere could constitute a health risk," emphasizes ASN. Inhaled or swallowed, radioactive iodine attaches to the thyroid gland, an essential organ for hormone regulation. Taking tablets helps saturate the thyroid gland, which can no longer capture or fix radioactive iodine ”.
Unable to be satisfied with 60% withdrawal of tablets from schools, ASN recalls that children and teenagers are "a priority audience, because their thyroid is more sensitive than that of adults".