Residents of Vilnius must collect free iodine tablets from pharmacies by November 17, even until that day the electronic prescription is valid, reminds the capital's municipality.
Potassium iodide tablets are issued to all residents who have declared their place of residence in the city of Vilnius and who have submitted a document confirming their personal identity.
These tablets are distributed to the population as a preventive measure due to the start of operation of the Astrav nuclear power plant (NPP) in Belarus. They are designed to protect the thyroid gland from the harmful effects of radioactive iodine.
It is emphasized that for the people of Vilnius potassium iodide tablets should be used only in the event of a nuclear accident in a neighboring country and only if such recommendations were made by competent state authorities.
It was previously announced that in the event of an accident at the Astravas nuclear power plant, which would result in the release of radioactive materials into the environment, the Lithuanian authorities would immediately inform the residents about this by sounding sirens, short warning messages to mobile phones and via radio, television and other means of public information.
In the event of such an emergency, it is recommended to close yourself indoors and wait for notifications from state authorities on what actions and measures to take to reduce the risk. At this stage, residents would also be informed about the need to take potassium iodide tablets.
In the event of a nuclear accident, the population is evacuated within a radius of 30 kilometers from the reactor.
According to the Vilnius municipality, since the country's capital is at a greater distance, i.e. 45 kilometers from Astravos, in the event of an emergency, the residents of Vilnius should first stay at home, not go outside, follow the information on radio and television and wait for further instructions: whether to take pills, wear protective respiratory equipment , to evacuate.
In total, the Ministry of Health has distributed 4 million. potassium iodide tablets to 16 municipalities located 100 kilometers from the Astrav nuclear power plant in Belarus.
