What Your Family Needs to Know

Some types of nuclear events release radioactive material, including radioactive iodine. The thyroid gland (a small gland found at the base of the throat) will rapidly absorb any type of iodine, including cancer-causing iodine (radioactive), and other non-harmful forms of iodine that you get from your diet. Radioactive iodine is especially harmful to infants through young adults.

A nuclear threat that might include release of radioactive iodine can come from three sources:

1. nuclear power plants: via a nuclear emergency due to an accident or act of terrorism;
2. nuclear (atomic) missile explosion;
3. "suitcase" bomb or nuclear device weapon explosion.

Exposure is possible from the fallout or "plume" that's created from a nuclear accident within a nuclear reactor (found in nuclear power plants) or from the detonation of a nuclear bomb containing radioactive iodine.

To view a map of nuclear reactor sites, click on these links.
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/map-power-reactors.html
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/map-nonpower-reactors.html

To learn more, click on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website:
http://www.ready.gov/nuclear.html