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2 Friday, March 24, 2017brooklintowncrier.com Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson A Pill Meltdown It's finally spring, and my thoughts naturally go to - radioactive poisoning. I would've given this more thought during the winter but I was distracted by searching for doggie dumps in the backyard snow. The Pickering nuclear station is about 26 km from home; the Darlington one is 37 km away. When choosing where to live out here, we hadn't considered the local deadly dangers lurking nearby. Heaven knows what they do at those places. What if they're secret nuclear weapons installments and are on North Korea's hit list? We can't be certain. I'm no fear monger but I do remember Three Mile Island (look it up) and the Fukushima melt down after that horrible 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Fortunately, Brooklin's lower east side is shielded from a Lake Ontario tsunami by the 407. I only recently learned that a couple of years ago residents within 50 km of either plant received free Ki pills to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer if a disaster occurred. I should add here that K (for potassium) and i (for iodine) are the two periodic table errors I made on the multiple choice exam that prevented me from getting into neurosurgery school. Anyway, we moved after these were mailed and the previous homeowner, who bolted for safety far away, didn't leave the pills behind. This was off-putting since we've now lived under this threat for months. I had a dream once that the Pickering plant imploded and my neighbours wandered onto the street, downing their pills with beer. They looked to my front yard and saw my wife and I crawling on the grass, zombies from "The Walking Dead." But I'd donned my hockey helmet, you know, just in case. It seems that in the event of a nuclear emergency, an ugly cloud of radioactive iodine could travel the 401, up the 412, and finally along highway 7 to my abode. There are a couple of alternate routes without tolls but the result is the same: it can move quite fast. According to the web site preparetobesafe.ca, we'd still have time to take the pills. If we could find them. I picture the two of us racing around the house, trashing cupboards while the dog whines at the back door. "No!" I yell in a panic. "You can't go out! It's poisonous! And the squirrels are all dead! Dead, I tell you!" Then, to my wife…"Didn't I put those pills in the closet behind the tablecloth from our wedding?... Oh geez, look at this, pictures of the kids at Disney in 1997...Been wondering where those went…" "Richard! The pills! Find the pills!" To put my family's minds at ease - well, chiefly mine - I ordered us a package from the web site. It'll arrive in four to six weeks. This brings us to May, a truly lovely time of the year, so long as nothing happens. "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Marissa Campbell at 416.839.0248 Email: yeswomanbrooklin@gmail.com Next Issue: Friday, April 7, 2017 Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2017 Not intended to solicit buyers/sellers under contract. Great prizes + publication in a summer 2017 issue! DRPS & Crime Stoppers To Combat Illegal Fentanyl Durham Regional Crime Stoppers has launched a two-month project in partnership with DRPS to help reduce the illegal trafficking and distribution of Fentanyl in our communities. During the months of March and April 2017, Crime Stoppers will pay a $1,000 reward to any tipsters with information that directly leads to the seizure of illicit Fentanyl, or its derivatives, for the purpose of trafficking and/or the arrest of individuals involved in the trafficking of Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate narcotic, a prescription drug that is prescribed by a medical practitioner for patients with chronic pain. This medication, if not used in the prescribed manner, can be lethal. We encourage members of the community to help by doing their part. You can assist this initiative by providing information that can combat the issue, which has negatively impacted many families and individuals in the Region of Durham. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca. For further information regarding this crime prevention initiative, please contact Cst. Dana Edwards, Crime Stoppers Coor- dinator, at 1-888-579-1520 ext.1863.