NRC Chairman Shirley Jackson said on December 11 that the commission is still considering the issue. She declined to share her views on the wisdom of stockpiling or distributing the compound to the public. Hepler said FEMA has been working very closely with the NRC staff to make sure the two policies are harmonious. Current federal policy recommends stockpiling KI for use by nuclear plant workers and emergency workers within the EPZs of nuclear reactor sides. But the government does not recommend stockpiling and distribution of KI pills to the general public, leaving that option to the states.
Most states favor a policy of evacuation for the general population.
The high incidence of thyroid cancer among children exposed to radiation following the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion in 1986 has caused many physicians and public health officials in the U.S. and other countries should reconsider the urgency of making KI readily available to the public. This argument has been going on for 15 years . Becker raised the question of whether New York state should revisit its KI policy during an advisory committee meeting in October. At this point, nothing has been decided. We have no plans right now to take it up further.