Harney opts not to reissue iodine tablets

IODINE tablets will not be reissued to households, Health Minister Mary Harney said yesterday.

In 2002, Ireland was the only country to distribute iodine tablets, intended to be taken in the event of a major nuclear accident.

A total of 14.2 million tablets, distributed by the State at a cost of €630,000, expired in 2005.

The distribution of the tablets followed a radio interview with the then Junior Energy Minister Joe Jacob that raised fears over the State’s ability to deal with an emergency.

Health Minister Mary Harney announced yesterday she had decided, on the basis of expert risk management advice, not to reissue iodine tablets.

Ms Harney said it was acknowledged the risks that might have existed six years ago were now substantially reduced.

Following the September 11 attacks in the US, fears grew of the effects of a terrorist attack on Sellafield or other European nuclear reactors.

At the time the tablets were issued there was concern about the vulnerability of reactors on the Sellafield site.

Ms Harney said the two reactors were no longer operational.

She said the decision to discontinue the distribution of the tablets was taken because of the low risk of radioactive iodine release.

She pointed out the decision was in line with best international practice that did not recommend general household distribution, other than in the immediate vicinity of a nuclear reactor.

The closest nuclear power station to Ireland is the Wylfa plant in north Wales, which is 114km from the Irish coastline.

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland visited the plant in late 2006 and concluded, even in a worst-case scenario, the use of iodine tablets would not be justified in Ireland.

The department said that in Britain the decision to distribute iodine tablets to households rested with the local authority.

The tablets had only been issued in a limited number of cases in a 3km radius of a nuclear reactor.

The department urged householders who still have packets of iodine tablets to dispose of them as normal household waste, without removing the packaging material they came in.