Where Can You Buy Iodine Tablets [BETTER]
If there is a radiation emergency at a nuclear plant, large amounts of something called radioiodine could be put into the air. This could hurt your thyroid gland, or even cause thyroid cancer later on. You could breathe in the radioiodine or eat food that has some radioiodine in it. When you take the KI pill, it protects your thyroid gland from being harmed.
where can you buy iodine tablets
KI will only protect you from radioactive iodine. It does not protect you from other kinds of radioactive material. KI works very well to protect your thyroid gland. However, it protects only your thyroid, not other parts of your body.
The table below shows the smallest KI dose that different age groups can take which will protect the thyroid. KI comes in liquid, 65-mg tablets and 130-mg tablets. Since it is hard to cut many pills, the State Health Commissioner says that, in an emergency, it is safe for children at school or day care centers to take the whole pill. It's better for children under 12 years old to take the 65-mg pill, but it is safe to take the 130-mg pill if that is the only one you have. For children or babies who cannot take pills, parents and caregivers can cut or crush the pill to make lower doses, or give the liquid form of KI.
In some radiation emergencies, usually nuclear power plant accidents, radioactive iodine may be released into the environment and enter the body through breathing or eating it. This is known as internal contamination. When the thyroid absorbs high levels of radioactive iodine, it can increase the risk of thyroid cancer in infants, children, and young adults many years after exposure. The thyroid is a gland in the neck that plays an important role in many body functions.
KI and radioactive iodine are both types of iodine. They are both absorbed by the thyroid. For KI to work, a person must take it before or shortly after exposure to radioactive iodine. When a person takes the right amount of KI at the right time, it can help block the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. This happens because the thyroid has already absorbed the KI, and there is no room to absorb the radioactive iodine. Think of filling a jar with blue marbles. If you then pour green marbles over the jar, there will not be room and they will just spill out.
Radioactive iodine contamination is mainly associated with nuclear power plant accidents. In other types of nuclear emergencies, such as a nuclear detonation, the biggest risk is external exposure to many types of radioactive materials. It is best to shelter in place for protection. Learn More
KI may not give a person 100% protection. KI is most effective if taken shortly before or right after internal contamination with radioactive iodine. The effectiveness of KI also depends on how much radioactive iodine gets into the body and how quickly it is absorbed in the body.
KI is only recommended for people under 40 and pregnant or breastfeeding people. People with certain medical conditions, including known iodine sensitivity, should not take KI or should talk to a healthcare provider about whether they can safely take KI.
Most radiation emergencies will involve other types of radiation and not radioactive iodine alone. Radioactive iodine is most common in nuclear power plant incidents. The best protection in a radiation emergency is always to get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned for more information from officials.
KI is recommended as a medical countermeasure to protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine in people under 40 and pregnant or breastfeeding. This is because cells are still growing and multiplying more quickly in younger populations, so they can be at risk for developing thyroid cancer after breathing in radioactive iodine.
Breastfeeding people should consider temporarily stopping breastfeeding until evacuated from the impacted area, if possible, and safely feed your baby other ways. Radioactive iodine can be passed to infants through breast milk.
Infants (under 1 month) have the highest risk of developing thyroid cancer from contamination with radioactive iodine. More than a single dose may lead to later problems with normal development. Other protective measures should be used. In cases where more than one dose is necessary, medical follow up may be necessary.
When you take potassium iodide, your thyroid gland absorbs it. If you get the right amount at the right time, it will saturate your thyroid gland. This can help block any inhaled or ingested radioactive iodine from being absorbed by your thyroid. This lowers your risk for radiation damage to that gland.
Infants and young children. Newborns and children are most at risk for a thyroid injury from radioactive iodine. Those with low amount of iodine in their thyroid are also likely to have thyroid damage.
The effectiveness of KI as a specific blocker of thyroid radioiodine uptake is well established. When administered in the recommended dose, KI is effective in reducing the risk of thyroid cancer in individuals or populations at risk for inhalation or ingestion of radioiodines. KI floods the thyroid with non-radioactive iodine and prevents the uptake of the radioactive molecules, which are subsequently excreted in the urine.
The FDA guidance prioritizes groups based on age, which is the primary factor for determining risk for radioiodine-induced thyroid cancer. Those at highest risk are infants and children, as well as pregnant and nursing females because of the potential for KI to suppress thyroid function in the developing fetus and the newborn. The recommendation is to treat them at the lowest threshold (with respect to predicted radioactive dose to the thyroid). Anyone over 18 years old and up to 40 years old should be treated at a slightly higher threshold. Finally, anyone over 40 years old should be treated with KI only if the predicted exposure is high enough to destroy the thyroid and induce lifelong hypothyroidism (thyroid deficiency).
Persons with known iodine sensitivity should avoid KI, as should individuals with dermatitis herpetiformis and hypocomplementemic vasculitis, extremely rare conditions associated with an increased risk of iodine hypersensitivity. A seafood or shellfish allergy does not necessarily mean that you are allergic or hypersensitive to iodine. People with nodular thyroid with heart disease should not take KI. Individuals with multinodular goiter, Graves' disease, and autoimmune thyroiditis should be treated with caution -- especially if dosing extends beyond a few days. If you are not sure if you should take KI, consult your health care professional.
KI works best if used within 3-4 hours of exposure. Although FDA has not made specific recommendations for individual purchase or use of KI, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) supplies KI tablets, in accordance with FDA dosing guidelines, to states (including tribal governments) that request it for populations within the 10-mile emergency planning zone of a nuclear power plant.
It's true that not having enough iodine (iodine deficiency) can cause hypothyroidism. But iodine deficiency has been rare in the United States and other developed countries since iodine has been added to salt (iodized salt) and other foods.
Potassium iodide is a salt, similar to table salt. Its chemical symbol is KI. It is routinely added to table salt to make it "iodized." Potassium iodide, if taken in time and at the appropriate dosage, blocks the thyroid gland's uptake of radioactive iodine and thus could reduce the risk of thyroid cancers and other diseases that might otherwise be caused by exposure to radioactive iodine that could be dispersed in a severe nuclear accident.
Potassium iodide is a special kind of protective measure in that it offers very specialized protection. Potassium iodide protects the thyroid gland against internal uptake of radioiodines that may be released in the unlikely event of a nuclear reactor accident.
When potassium iodide is ingested, it is taken up by the thyroid gland. In the proper dosage, and taken at the appropriate time, it will effectively saturate the thyroid gland in such a way that inhaled or ingested radioactive iodines will not be accumulated in the thyroid gland. The risk of thyroid effects is reduced. Such thyroid effects resulting from radioiodine uptakes due to inhalation or ingestion, or both, could result in acute, chronic, and delayed effects. Acute effects from high doses include thyroiditis, while chronic and delayed effects include hypothyroidism, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer.
The population closest (within the 10 mile EPZ) to the nuclear power plant are at greatest risk of exposure to radiation and radioactive materials. The purpose of radiological emergency preparedness is to protect people from the effects of radiation exposure after an accident at a nuclear power plant. Evacuation is the most effective protective measure in the event of a radiological emergency because it protects the whole body (including the thyroid gland and other organs) from all radionuclides and all exposure pathways. However, in situations when evacuation is not feasible, in-place sheltering is substituted as an effective protective action. In addition, administering potassium iodide is a reasonable, prudent, and inexpensive supplement to both evacuation and sheltering. When the population is evacuated out of the area, and potentially contaminated foodstuffs are interdicted, the risk from further radioactive iodine exposure to the thyroid gland is essentially eliminated.
If terrorists attack either at a nuclear power plant or with a "dirty" bomb, radioactive iodine would have to be released in order for potassium iodide (KI) to be needed. Potassium iodide protects the thyroid gland only against the internal uptake of radioiodines.
A nuclear power plant will make protective action recommendations based on current emergency plans, which may include the recommendation to take KI as a supplement to evacuation and/or sheltering. In the case of a dirty bomb, protective actions will be made according to the threat presented. If the bomb contained radioactive iodine, then the use of KI may be appropriate. However, radioactive iodine is not considered to be a viable component of a dirty bomb due to its relatively short half-life and the difficulties in obtaining significant quantities. More information on dirty bombs and response to terrorist activities can be found on the Nuclear Security and Safeguards Web page. Other information can be found at the Department of Homeland Security. 041b061a72