Assessment of emergency preparedness and potassium iodide distribution among the general public and emergency responders in close proximity to New Jersey's nuclear power plants

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

James Blando, PhD, Occupational Health Surveillance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625, (609)777-3039, james.blando@doh.state.nj.us, Corwin Robertson, MD, Communicable Disease Service, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 369, Trenton, NJ 08625, and Eddy Bresnitz, MD, MS, Deputy Commissioner / State Epidemiologist, NJ Dept of Health, PO Box 369, Trenton, NJ 08625.

On January 19, 2001 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) required that states consider the usage of potassium iodide (KI) tablets as a protective measure in the event of a nuclear incident. In response to the NRC's recommendation to the states, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) set up KI distribution clinics in the summer of 2002, where KI tablets were offered to interested persons who lived or worked within 10 miles of the state's two nuclear power facilities. Two distinct surveys were developed and validated for use in two separate groups, the general public and emergency responders. The objective of the General Public survey was to determine the long term fate of the KI tablets that were distributed at KI distribution clinics and to assess baseline knowledge regarding public safety and expected behaviors in the event of a nuclear emergency. The objective of the Emergency Responder survey was to assess KI prophylaxis and emergency response knowledge among emergency responders and health care professionals. Issues such as knowledge of KI usage and factors that influenced this comprehension were assessed, general knowledge of emergency plans among the general public and responders (e.g. emergency evacuation routes), expected behaviors during an incident, and the proper chain of command structure were assessed and results will be presented.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives

Identify challenges in the mass distribution of prophylactic agents for nuclear emergency preparedness and identify key factors that impact the effectiveness of such programs.
Identify key factors that impact the comprehension of public health information given to recipients of mass prophylaxis and among emergency responders.
Identify behaviors that would be expected among the general public and emergency responders during a nuclear event.
Evaluate the effectiveness of KI distribution programs.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation

Emergency and Disater Preparedness I

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA