When the shit hits the fan

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires KI pill distribution to be “considered”, rather than “required”. This allows individual states to decide whether or not to pre-distribute KI pills. Several approaches are used, with some states choosing to pre-distribute the pills, while others prefer to maintain local stockpiles. Pre-distribution is done by several means, including door-to-door and mail.

U.S. States without KI distribution programs for the general population that have nuclear power plants within their borders include: Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin.

U.S. States with KI distribution programs for general population are divided into two groups. States who Stockpile KI for post-incident distribution and states who Pre-distribute (includes stockpiling for post-incident distribution). Those who Stockpile include: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Arizona and those who pre-distribute include: California, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey, Tennessee, Delaware, New York, Vermont, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Other countries that pre-distribute KI pills include France, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland – to name just a few. Each country sets different distances around their NPPs to pre-distribute KI pills, with some countries also stockpiling pills at schools, pharmacies and local businesses.

Some countries like Germany and most of the United Kingdom stockpile KI pills at certain locations, to be distributed by emergency services if required.