ALBANY – State Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera (D-Bronx) said radiation-blocking iodine pills to be made available to all New Yorkers within 30 miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plants immediately.

The lawmaker, who is a member of the Assembly Health Committee, called for the pills one week after the devastating earthquake, tsunami and later nuclear power plant radiation in Japan.

Rivera said the KI pills should be purchased by the state with federal stimulus funds and made available to everyone within a 30 mile radius of Indian Point, not just the current 10 mile warning zone.

“We cannot wait until a potentially deadly catastrophe involving the accidental release of radiation by the Indian Point nuclear power plant before we realize that New York State does not have available the first line of defense resources that can save the lives of millions of our fellow residents, including millions of children,” she said Friday.