ANSTO is disappointed that recent media reports are making alarming statements in relation to ANSTO and NSW emergency response plans.
For decades, ANSTO has had in place emergency response plans to deal with worst case consequences, prepared in consultation with the NSW emergency planning authorities. These plans have been subject to independent expert reviews, and found to be appropriate within the current circumstances.
Within the current plan there is provision for the distribution of stable iodine tablets, if necessary. Decisions on the issue of stable iodine tablets are the responsibility of the NSW Department of Health. In order to assist this process, iodine tablets have been made available to local ambulance centres under the control of NSW Health.
In ANSTO’s view the distribution of stable iodine tablets to residents of surrounding areas is not necessary. In fact, stable iodine tablets have not been distributed to people living near any research reactor in the world – even though many research reactors have people living considerably closer to them than the 1.6 km buffer zone around ANSTO.
Authorities around some power reactors have distributed stable iodine tablets to households. Power reactors are typically hundreds of times larger that HIFAR and the Replacement Research Reactor (RRR), and operate under very high temperatures and pressures, unlike the HIFAR and the RRR, and therefore the consequences of any event would be very different to research reactors.