In the event of a nuclear emergency, Belgium is arming its citizens with iodine tablets. The measure comes months after the ISIS-linked plot to build a “dirty bomb" and the spying done on a top nuclear scientist, which was revealed in a surveillance video obtained by Belgian authorities.
Iodine, which helps limit radiation’s effects on the body including a buildup in the thyroid, will be made accessible to the country’s 11 million residents, revealed health minister Maggie De Block Thursday before reporters.
Triggering the initiative were the emergency measures employed in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear fallout in Japan. Part of it, too, was the discovery that a senior researcher at a Belgian nuclear center – which creates a substantial portion of the world’s radioisotope supply – has been spied upon by a terrorist group.
The hidden filming of the scientist was discovered Nov. 30 during a raid at the home of ISIS-linked suspect Mohamed Bakkali, who has since been charged with involvement in the Paris bombings that killed 130 and wounded hundreds.
The secret film was recorded by Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, two brothers who figured in the March bombing attacks in Brussels.
"We will provide iodine pills in the whole country,” announced De Block, clarifying that it is not done over safety concerns on the country’s own nuclear plants.
Originally, officials had planned giving away tablets to communities near Tihange and Doel nuclear plants. Now the wider distribution includes the whole country, which approximates the size of Maryland.
A day after Belgium’s announcement, the Dutch government followed suit and ordered 15 million iodine pills for those residing near nuclear plants – a key move amid concerns over aging reactors across the Belgian border.
The pills will be distributed to children under age 18 as well as pregnant women living within a 62-mile radius of a nuclear plant, Dutch health ministry spokesperson Edith Schippers told AFP.
While The Netherlands only has one nuclear power plant located in the southwest, the iodine pill distribution will cover people situated in border areas near the Emsland plant of Germany and the two Belgian plants.
Schippers added that they will emulate how the Belgians will make the pills available, whether at pharmacies or local health centers. Even workers, tourists, and visitors will have a share of the supply in preparation for a potential nuclear event.
A week earlier, Germany asked that the 40-year-old reactors of Tihange and Doel plants be shut down until “outstanding security issues” have been resolved. Belgium rejected the request, who stood firm that the plants are subjected to rigorous safety standards.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster recently marked its 30th anniversary, still haunting the health of affected and surrounding areas and the overall situation in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
Photo: George Monet | Flickr
