Poland begins distributing iodine tablets in anticipation of a nuclear disaster
Poland has started a program of distribution of iodine tablets to emergency workers and first responders, starting with the regional firefighters – who will in turn be able to distribute them to the general population – in the event of a possible radioactive disaster in the largest nuclear power plant of Europe.
A Polish deputy minister first announced the plan on Thursday, warning of the possibility of dangerous radiation exposure amid continuing fighting in neighboring Ukraine, where technicians from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant continue to struggle to maintain security checks.
"After media reports about the battles near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, we decided… in advance to take protective action to distribute iodine," Polish official Blazej Pobozy said on a national radio broadcast.
"I would like to reassure all citizens that these are routine and preventive actions that serve to protect us in the event of a situation that … I hope does not occur". Iodine tablets can help protect against conditions associated with radioactive exposure, such as thyroid cancer.
The plant has suffered frequent interruptions of the electrical cables, has been removed several times from the national electricity grid and has had to resort to backup measures, amidst the bombing in the area and the approximately 500 Russian troops that have occupied the complex since March.
Both sides continued to blame the other for deteriorating operating conditions, which at the beginning of the month prompted plant operators to take a sixth reactor off the grid for excess of caution, while a power line was restored after a fire. .
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: " Due to Russian provocations, the Zaporizhzhya plant is one step away from a radioactive disaster."
Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia city lost a lot of power after the electricity infrastructure was hit pic.twitter.com/66PLeiSDF4
– LogKa (@ LogKa11) September 22, 2022
A couple of IAEA officials are still present at the site, and the UN nuclear watchdog has talked about implementation plans to establish a "nuclear safety protection zone" around the facility.
Various attempts have been made to design predictive models that assess the impact of the potential radiation fallout centered in Zaporizhzhia …
This map shows the potential radiation fallout from a Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant disaster pic.twitter.com/ZBzwIjlzjP
– Samuel Ramani (@ SamRamani2) August 18, 2022
Below is a timeline of events based on Ukrainian regional reports and Yahoo News:
- Russia captured the Chornobyl nuclear power plant at the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. On March 4, it captured the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, creating a threat of radioactive disaster. In mid-March, Russian occupation forces detonated ammunition on the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
- On July 15, Energoatom reported that Russia had deployed several missile systems on the territory of the Zaporizhia power plant. Russian forces were using these weapons to fire on the area around the city of Nikopol.
- On September 1, the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived at the ZNPP.
- On 2 September, Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, confirmed that two representatives of the organization would remain at the ZNPP after the end of the mission.
- On 5 September, four of the six IAEA inspectors completed their inspection of the plant and left the ZNPP. Two IAEA operators remained at the plant.
- On 5 September, due to a fire caused by Russian bombing on the ZNPP, the last line connecting the ZNPP and the Zaporizhzhia thermoelectric power plant to the Ukrainian electricity grid was interrupted.
The drama is around the corner
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The article Poland begins to distribute iodine tablets in anticipation of a nuclear disaster comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-polonia-inizia-a-distribuire-pastiglie-di-iodio-in-attesa-di-un-disastro-nucleare/ on Sat, 24 Sep 2022 16:48:11 +0000.