A cooling tower is seen at the Salem nuclear power plant known as Artificial Island.
Mel Evans/AP Photo
SMYRNA, Del. — Delaware residents living within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of two nuclear plants in New Jersey are eligible to receive free potassium iodide tablets from the state.
News outlets report that the Delaware Emergency Management Agency and Delaware Division of Public Health will distribute the tablets next Thursday. The tablets help protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine that might be ingested or inhaled during a radiation emergency.
The 10-mile radius around the Salem Nuclear Plant and Hope Creek Generating Station is referred to as the emergency planning zone.
Those who live outside the zone can obtain the tablets over-the-counter at some local pharmacies.