Potassium iodide tablets are for what? |
Question And Answer Category: Diet |
Question: |
| Dear Blankhelp Team, During the height of 911 scare, I saw ads for potassium iodide tablets. What are they fore, and what is the basis for their use? Should I have potassium iodide tablets on stock? thank you, Sammy |
Our Advice and Answer: |
| Hello Sammy, Potassium iodide tablet has been toted as the must have item for dirty bomb terrorism for the last few years. Clearly a result of 911's mass homicides. From our understanding, potassium iodide tablets were designed to fight the effects of a nuclear accident, or a limited nuclear war. The idea is that curing a nuclear incident, certain radioactive isotopes are released, and with each radioactive isotopes, there are some that collect in the human body and target certain organs. Now with a nuclear war, the number of nuclear isotopes released is massive, and the real concern isn't uptake of a single isotope. The physical damage, direct radiation, and secondary effects makes potassium iodide tablets kinda mute. Potassium iodide tablets were designed for a limited release of radioactive material, specifically radioactive iodine from a steam leak from a nuclear power plant. So to prevent concentration of radioactive iodine in the thyroid, the target organ, you can preload the thyroid with 'safe' iodine from potassium iodide tablets. Now from what we learned during the Three Mile Island Scare in the 70's radioactive iodine was released, the amount was very small, but people bought into concept of using potassium iodide tablets as form of cancer prevention. The problem was the potassium iodide tablets that were used contained naturally radioactive iodine, and people exposed their bodies to higher levels of radio active material than they would have received from the actual nuclear accident. So enough about the history of potassium iodide tablets, the moral of the story is that potassium iodide tablet were designed for specific conditions to prevent concentration of one type of radioactive material during a special condition. So they do not really meet the 'one size fits all' for a therorical "dirty" bomb. Since any radioactive material might be used. It seems that during heights of any scare associated with anything nuclear, potassium iodide tablets are mentioned and gladly sold by suppliers. So talk to your health care provider before taking any supplements. If you think you are in the proximity of a nuclear power plant, you might want to get in contact with their public relations office, and see if there is a program to supply residents with a small supply of potassium iodide tablets. From them, you can learn more how potassium iodide tablets can help you, since we are not potassium iodide tablet experts. The Blankhelp Team |
Diet Help and Advice Notice: |
| Treat all advice, information, and suggestions as UNprofessional help. Like all professionals who help you, you are worked with on a one on one basis. Because we are not meeting with you, we cannot provide any professional advice. So treat this site is solely for informational and educational purposes. Terms and Conditions |
