Nuclear plant official says pills provide false hope in accident

A spokesman for Iowa’s only nuclear power plant says it’s better to get out of town rather than pop a pill if there’s an accident. State Health officials say they won’t hand out potassium iodide pills to residents living near the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in eastern Iowa near Palo. Other states are handing out the pills, which can help combat the effects of exposure to radiation. Duane Arnold spokesman John Lohman says it’s better to evacuate residents if there’s an accident — as the pill isn’t perfect.He says the pills give people a false sense of security that they can stick around longer after and accident. Lohman says they have a plan in place to evacuate everyone if there ever is a problem.Lohman says they hold six evacuation drills a year. He says they’ve never come close to going from a drill to the real thing.He says there’s never been an incident at the plant in 30 years that’s created the need for an evacuation. Lohman says he knows of only one phone call from a resident asking about the potassium iodide pills.