Launch of the iodine distribution campaign – Nuclear incident and specific intervention plan (PPI) – Technological – Natural and technological risks – State actions

As a nuclear operator, the Ministry of the Armed Forces is organizing a campaign for the preventive provision of stable iodine tablets within the scope of the Special Intervention Plan (PPI)¹ from the military port of Toulon. This campaign concerns the municipalities of Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Ollioules and Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer.

Taking stable iodine tablets effectively protects the thyroid in the event of an accident at a nuclear installation resulting in a release of radioactive iodine. It is imperative to wait for instructions from the prefect to ingest these tablets.

♦ The terms of the campaign

> Lare individuals residing in the municipalities of Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Ollioules and Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer are invited to go to a pharmacy supplying stable iodine tablets. By indicating the composition of their household, they will be given the appropriate number of boxes of tablets. No supporting documents are necessary.

> Employers under private or public law and managers of establishments open to the public (schools, supermarkets, etc.) in these municipalities are invited to download the collection voucher intended for them from the Var prefecture website, fill it out and go to a pharmacy supplying stable iodine tablets, provided with this voucher, in order to collect the boxes of tablets necessary for their structure.

The list of pharmacies participating in the campaign to make stable iodine tablets available is available at the following link: https://www.sante.fr/campagne-distribution-iode

The withdrawal voucher intended for employers and ERP managers is available at the following link www.var.gouv.fr or by typing ppitoulon.net in your search bar;

For any questions about the campaign, send an email to: [email protected]

♦ Why a new campaign?

Following the accident at the Fukushima-Daichii nuclear power plant in Japan in March 2011, the French public authorities wanted to strengthen both the level of nuclear safety of French nuclear installations and the Organization of the civil security response (ORSEC). This notably resulted in the extension of the radius of the PPI perimeters of the four French military ports from two to five kilometers. This increase in radius aims to strengthen the responsiveness of public authorities as well as public awareness and protection; it is in no way linked to an increase in nuclear risk.

This development therefore calls for a new campaign to make stable iodine tablets available.

♦ Protect populations

For almost thirty years, the French public authorities have organized campaigns to make stable iodine tablets available within the PPI perimeters of nuclear installations (civil and military) likely to release radioactive iodine in the event of an accident. These campaigns illustrate their commitment to protecting the population and the environment.

From the design of nuclear installations to their operation, everything is done to guarantee maximum safety. Even if it is very low, the risk of accident is anticipated by the public authorities.

In the event of an accident, certain installations present in military ports are likely to release radioactive iodine. Breathed or ingested, radioactive iodine attaches to the thyroid gland and can increase the risk of cancer of this organ, particularly in young people. If an event occurred on a nuclear installation within a military port and it was likely to have consequences outside the military enclosure, the prefect would activate the PPI. In this context and if the situation required it, the prefect could ask the population to take stable iodine tablets.

Ingesting stable iodine tablets effectively protects the thyroid by saturating it to prevent it from incorporating radioactive iodine. The populations most sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine and requiring priority protection are children, pregnant women (risk for the fetus) and breastfeeding women (risk for the infant).

It is imperative to wait for instructions from the prefect to ingest these tablets, because taking stable iodine is not systematically necessary: it depends on the radioactive elements released into the atmosphere. In fact, stable iodine does not protect against other radioactive elements (uranium, cesium, etc.) which can be released into the environment in the event of an accident.

Communication supports:

All information about the withdrawal voucher