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American Morning

Story of One Family Living Near a Nuclear Power Plant in New York

Aired January 04, 2002 - 08:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The rank of September 11th, some people are taking precautions against the unthinkable. For example, one family living near a nuclear power plant in New York carries pills to protect them against radiation.

Our medical news correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Mark Jacobs lives about five miles from New York's Indian Point nuclear power plant and so he doesn't leave home without these - enough potassium iodide tablets for him, his wife, and son. They're basically salt pills and if taken right after a release of radioactivity can help protect against thyroid cancer.

MARK JACOBS: Every time that I hear a plane flying overhead, I have to ask myself is that a plane that's going to continue or is it going to crash into Indian Point, and that scares me.

COHEN: Since nuclear plants weren't designed to withstand the impact of a modern plane, the government is buying potassium iodide for people who live within 10 miles of the nuclear plant. The pills available without prescription have few side effects and are cheap.

Now the company that runs Indian Point, 35 miles north of Manhattan, says it can't imagine anyone would ever need potassium iodide.

JIM STEETS: Our containment buildings don't have glass walls. They are solid three and a half feet of cement with eight rows of steel reinforcement interwoven. We're very confident in its ability to stop a plane.

COHEN: In fact Jim Steets told us a plane would bounce off these walls - something Ken Kelly isn't buying. He lives across the river from Indian Point.

KEN KELLY: You think about the Twin Tower situation and you say my God, one of those planes rolled right over this site - right over - right down the river, and had they chosen, they could have put the plane into the plan and that would have been a real disaster. COHEN: So is Kelly glad the federal government is going to give away potassium iodide - not particularly. A retired chemist, Kelly knows that the pills protect only against thyroid cancer and nothing else. His solution - he thinks post September 11th the plant doesn't belong in a densely populate area near five commercial airports. He wants Indian Point shut down. But Mark Jacobs says he knows that's not going to happen. So in the meantime he'll keep his stock handy just in case the unthinkable occurs.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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