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Hi my dad just emailed this,

Postal Workers to Get Radiation Pills

ClariNet story from C-ap@... (AP / SIOBHAN McDONOUGH, Associated

Press Writer)

12/03/2002 10:38:41 PRINT THIS ARTICLE

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. postal workers will be offered potassium iodide

pills to protect against thyroid cancer in the event of a radiological

emergency.

" Employees are out there in all of these communities nationwide and we

wanted to err on the side of caution, " Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan

said.

The USPS said Monday it was buying nearly 1.6 million pills from

Tampa-based Anbex, Inc. for distribution to workers who want to have the tablets

if a radiological emergency occurs.

Potassium iodide is the only medication for internal radiation exposure.

It has just one use -- to prevent thyroid cancer by blocking the thyroid from

taking up radioactive iodine.

The pills are generally kept on hand in areas where there is a threat of a

nuclear accident, but in recent years concerns have also increased that an enemy

might include a form of iodine in a nuclear weapon.

The Food and Drug Administration-approved tablets will be available for

all 750,000 postal workers nationwide.

Employees will be given counseling in advance to understand the use of the

pills, which will be kept on hand for distribution if needed.

" It's a proactive approach regarding the safety, health and well-being of

employees nationwide, " Brennan said.

Brennan said the pills are being offered much like free flu shots were

offered in the wake of the anthrax scares after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The recommendation came up in meetings of the mail security task force,

comprised of representatives of postal unions, management associations and the

Office of the Inspector General, along with safety and medical specialists and

members of the mailing industry.

In January, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it would provide

free potassium iodide to 33 states that had residents living within a 10-mile

radius of each of the nation's 102 nuclear reactors.

Brennan said the post office was paying 18.3 cents per pill, well below

the average price of 71.4 cents.

Like any medication, overdoses of potassium iodide can be dangerous. Some

people may experience allergic reactions, including nausea or rashes.

Phone calls to the American Postal Workers Union and National Association

of Letter rs were not immediately returned.

On the Net:

U.S. Postal Service: http://www.usps.com

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov

Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov