Iodine Pills for all in nuclear disaster Belgium

brussels - No later than 2017 should be able to get everyone in Belgium iodine pills in case of a nuclear disaster. The pills must limit the damage to health. The Belgian Health Minister Maggie De Block is working on a distribution system that should stand on its feet at the latest next year, Belgian media reported Thursday.

In a nuclear disaster may be released radioactive iodine, and if that is taken up by the thyroid gland that affects the body and to the growing risk of thyroid cancer exponentially. Iodine tablets have to make sure that the thyroid gland is saturated with non-malignant iodine. Now only be provided iodine tablets to people living in a radius of 20 kilometers from a nuclear reactor or nuclear facility.

In March, noted the National Health Council, the scientific advisory body to the Ministry that Belgium is insufficiently prepared for a nuclear disaster. One of the recommendations, therefore, was to expand the radius of up to 100 kilometers. In fact comes down to the whole country. The minister now follow that advice.

How to distribute the pills will be organized exactly is still unclear. This is possible through a distribution house to house, or to deliver supplies to pharmacies where everybody needs to go in an emergency to get his pills.

Belgium has seven nuclear reactors- four at Target and three at Tihange- which (relatively) close to the Dutch border. Regularly falter reactors.

In the Netherlands, iodine pills are also provided, in a certain radius and for a specific audience.