It's time for another group of Windsor-Essex residents to get new potassium iodide (KI) pills.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) will hold a KI distribution event with the Town of Kingsville later this month.
The pills are a precautionary measure against any potential release of radiation caused by an unlikely accident at the Fermi II Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan or the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant in northwest Ohio.
"KI pills block the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine which may be released during a nuclear incident," read the notice from the health unit. "KI pills would help to prevent the development of thyroid cancer in such instances."
According to a map provided by the health unit, the entire Town of Kingsville, along with almost all of Windsor-Essex, lies within the secondary radius of the Fermi plant. Kingsville also lies within the secondary zone of the Davis-Besse plant.
A public KI pill distribution will take place on Thursday, April 24, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Kingsville Arena on Jesperson Lane.
If you have KI pills already, the health unit says they should be replaced. After you receive new pills, you can turn them in at your local pharmacy.
"KI pills are only to be taken when instructed by the WECHU’s Medical Officer of Health," said the health unit. "The pills should be stored in a safe, dry, and accessible place along with your 72-hour emergency kit."