It was an ordinary day. Picked up my morning paper from the mailbox and sat in my recliner as I prepared for an interesting as usual read! Headlines such as "This Is Necessary" which talked about our local nursing home's union striking, "Oz Campaign Cites County Killings" which told about misstated facts about a 1979 fatal robbery, "Clean Getaway For Mules" which talked about a big win for the unbeaten Solanco High School football team, and "Iodine Pills To Be Given For Those Near Peach Bottom Plant" which reported about those eligible for free iodine pills. Now, the first three headlines are something that you may perhaps find in just about every newspaper in the country on any particular day of the year. But...the final headline I listed is something that probably can't be found in any newspaper in the country on just about any day of the year. At least hopefully the headline isn't needed in most towns. Seems that the people living or working in six Lancaster, Pennsylvania townships or municipalities are eligible to receive free iodine pills from the state to protect them from the unlikely release of radiation from one of the state's four active nuclear power plants. The pills are a giveaway from the Department of Health to ensure residents are prepared for the unlikely release of radiation in the Fulton, Drumore, East Drumore, Little Britain, Martic and Providence townships which all lie partially or completely within 10 straight-line miles of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station which is located on the banks of the Susquehanna River in York County. The pills contain potassium iodide and are to be taken only in the event of a radiation leak. The contents of each pill help protect the thyroids of anyone exposed to radioactive iodine which is a byproduct of nuclear fission. How would you like to view and read a story like that in your newspaper...especially if you happened to live in one of the locations listed. Luckily I don't live in one of the areas listed, but I still worry about what might happen to my wife and I, as well as the rest of my family, if something might happen with the power plant. Well, pills are to be distributed from 2 to 7 p.m., September 15 at the East Drumore Township municipal building at 925 Robert Fulton Highway. You can also obtain pills by mail by calling the state Department of Health or contacting the state health center in Lancaster County. I did take notice to the fact that just about all the other headlines on the page were rather large in nature while the pill headline was fairly small in size. Don't want to upset or worry anyone! I guess after the March of 1979 Meltdown on nearby Three-Mile Island on the Susquehanna River, the government wants to make sure that everyone knows ahead of time of what they can do to prepare for another meltdown. Here's hoping it will never happen again, but I guess it's better to be prepared than not to be! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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