The situation seems to become more dangerous each day and people here, understandably, want to take precautions to protect themselves and their families from a nuclear meltdown and radiation exposure.
I don’t know how likely the possibility is for significant radiation to reach Saipan. If there is a meltdown in Japan the radiation would take a few days to reach Saipan and hopefully, by then, the authorities would provide the necessary information to protect us. So far the detectors on Guam have not registered any radiation so this article is for informational purposes only. NO ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN AT THIS TIME.
One of the dangers of radiation exposure is that it may cause thyroid disease later in life. The thyroid gland, a gland found in the neck which controls our metabolic rate, will absorb radioactive iodine and which can cause thyroid cancer or abnormal growths on the thyroid later on.
One way to protect the thyroid, if radiation exposure has occurred or is imminent, is to take potassium iodide. This comes in tablet and liquid form.
What is potassium iodide?
Potassium iodide (also called KI) is a salt of stable (not radioactive) iodine. Stable iodine is an important chemical needed by the body to make thyroid hormones. Most of the stable iodine in our bodies comes from the food we eat. KI is stable iodine in a medicine form.
What does KI do?
Following a radiological or nuclear event, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical. Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury.
What KI cannot do
Knowing what KI cannot do is also important. KI cannot prevent radioactive iodine from entering the body. KI can protect only the thyroid from radioactive iodine, not other parts of the body. KI cannot reverse the health effects caused by radioactive iodine once damage to the thyroid has occurred. KI cannot protect the body from radioactive elements other than radioactive iodine — if radioactive iodine is not present, taking KI is not protective.
How does KI work?
The thyroid gland cannot tell the difference between stable and radioactive iodine and will absorb both. KI works by blocking radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. When a person takes KI, the stable iodine in the medicine gets absorbed by the thyroid. Because KI contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland becomes “full” and cannot absorb any more iodine — either stable or radioactive — for the next 24 hours.
Iodized table salt also contains iodine; iodized table salt contains enough iodine to keep most people healthy under normal conditions. However, table salt does not contain enough iodine to block radioactive iodine from getting into your thyroid gland. You should not use table salt as a substitute for KI.
How well does KI work?
Knowing that KI may not give a person 100 percent protection against radioactive iodine is important. How well KI blocks radioactive iodine depends on
• how much time passes between contamination with radioactive iodine and the taking of KI (the sooner a person takes KI, the better),
• how fast KI is absorbed into the blood, and
• the total amount of radioactive iodine to which a person is exposed.
Who should take KI?
The thyroid glands of a fetus and of an infant are most at risk of injury from radioactive iodine. Young children and people with low stores of iodine in their thyroid are also at risk of thyroid injury.
Infants (including breast-fed infants): Infants need to be given the recommended dosage of KI for babies. The amount of KI that gets into breast milk is not enough to protect breast-fed infants from exposure to radioactive iodine. The proper dose of KI given to a nursing infant will help protect it from radioactive iodine that it breathes in or drinks in breast milk.
Children: The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends that all children internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take KI, unless they have known allergies to iodine. Children from newborn to 18 years of age are the most sensitive to the potentially harmful effects of radioactive iodine.
Young Adults: The FDA recommends that young adults (between the ages of 18 and 40 years) internally contaminated with (or likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine take the recommended dose of KI. Young adults are less sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine than are children.
Pregnant Women: Because all forms of iodine cross the placenta, pregnant women should take KI to protect the growing fetus. However, pregnant women should take only one dose of KI following internal contamination with (or likely internal contamination with) radioactive iodine.
Breastfeeding Women: Women who are breastfeeding should take only one dose of KI if they have been internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine. Because radioactive iodine quickly gets into breast milk, CDC recommends that women internally contaminated with (or are likely to be internally contaminated with) radioactive iodine stop breastfeeding and feed their child baby formula or other food if it is available. If breast milk is the only food available for an infant, nursing should continue.
Adults: Adults older than 40 years should not take KI unless public health or emergency management officials say that contamination with a very large dose of radioactive iodine is expected. Adults older than 40 years have the lowest chance of developing thyroid cancer or thyroid injury after contamination with radioactive iodine. They also have a greater chance of having allergic reactions to KI.
When should I take KI?
After a radiologic or nuclear event, local public health or emergency management officials will tell the public if KI or other protective actions are needed. For example, public health officials may advise you to remain in your home, school, or place of work (this is known as “shelter-in-place”) or to evacuate. You may also be told not to eat some foods and not to drink some beverages until a safe supply can be brought in from outside the affected area. Following the instructions given to you by these authorities can lower the amount of radioactive iodine that enters your body and lower the risk of serious injury to your thyroid gland.
Where can I find KI onSaipan?
KI can be purchased in tablet form without a prescription. But as far as I know, there is no KI available on Saipan at this time. It can be ordered online but that doesn’t mean it will actually be available from those sources. I’ve heard that it can be obtained from Canada and perhaps other countries.
What about kelp tablets?
Kelp is a food supplement that has a small amount of iodide in it. Unfortunately the amount of iodide is very small and you would have to take HUNDREDS of tablets to equal the amount of KI in one regular potassium iodide tablet. Don’t even consider it.
What about iodine?
Iodine is widely sold for water purification as tincture of iodine, or Povidone-iodine solution (like Betadine). It is “elemental” iodine. It can be POISONOUS if taken by mouth. It is normally used in very small quantities to purify water or treat skin infections. Any other form of iodine, except for potassium iodide, can be dangerous and should not be taken by mouth. In addition, this form of iodine will not work to protect the thyroid.
What else can be done to prepare for a nuclear emergency?
For more information on what you can do to prepare for a nuclear emergency please see the CDC websites:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/emergencyfaq.asp
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp
There is no reason to take any action at this time, but having this information might be useful in the days to come.
