Potassium Iodide For A Nuclear Disaster?
10 Jul 2003
What would happen if terrorists attacked a nuclear power plant? Or an accident caused fallout of radioactive iodine? If you were driving in the opposite direction your first reaction would be to step on the gas. But for those trapped in a large city there would be absolute chaos on roadways as people tried to escape. So is it time to provide potassium iodide (KI) to Canadians to protect the thyroid gland from cancer?
A terrorist attack would expose thousands to thyroid cancer as a result of the fallout of radioactive iodine (I-131). And today there are over 400 nuclear power plants in the world. Some countries such as France derive 70 percent of their power from nuclear energyUnder current conditions thyroid cancer strikes 21,000 North Americans every year. If you’re female, over 40 years of age, Caucasian, with a family history of thyroid cancer or are deficient in iodine, you’re more likely to develop this disease.
But if you’re unlucky to be a Russian living near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor your chances are worse. So far 3,000 cases of thyroid cancer have been reported since the reactor failed. It’s estimated that another 10,000 will develop this disease in the next 10 years. Children have suffered the most, along with those who have hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid).
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland covering the windpipe just below the Adam’s apple. It manufactures thyroxin which acts much like the accelerator of a car controlling heart rate, temperature and energy level. Too much thyroxin results in hyperthyroidism and too little hypothyroidism.
To produce thyroxin the thyroid gland needs iodine. It normally gets this supply from iodized salt and shellfish. But in the event of a terrorist attack, large amounts I-131 would be available. And the thyroid gland has no way of distinguishing radioactive from non-radioactive iodine. It simply absorbs whatever is offered.
Fortunately potassium iodide (K I) is extremely effective against I-131 and works in a very simple way. KI quickly saturates the thyroid with ample amounts of good iodine leaving no room for I-131.
So does it make sense for governments to provide potassium iodide as an insurance policy against possible terrorist attacks? In the U.S. the Federal Drug Administration has endorsed the use of potassium iodide. Then in April of 2002 the Nuclear Energy Commission urged state governments to make K I available to those living near nuclear reactors.
Some states have established stockpiles of KI, but stockpiling makes no sense. No terrorist worth his salt is going to announce the date of his attack. And K I should be taken two hours before exposure to I-131. So it would be impossible to dole out K I quick enough to prevent I-131 from entering the thyroid gland. That’s why some people have purchased their own supply of K I.
The dose of K I needed depends on the person’s age. For adults, it’s 130 milligrams (mg) every 24 hours for 10 days. For children, age 3 to 18, it’s 65 mg, and 32 mg for those under three years of age.
So should we all run to the pharmacy and purchase K I? Some health authorities say yes because the thyroid is a prime target. Since it’s a small gland and attracts I-131, the concentration of radioactive material is high and the resultant damage great. Moreover, K I costs far less than a restaurant meal and has mild side effects. A small price to pay to avoid thyroid malignancy.
Other authorities argue that nuclear fallout is not that simple and that K I is not "all protective". For instance, other radioactive materials are also released along with radioactive iodine which if inhaled or ingested are dispersed throughout the body. Nor does K I guard us from external radiation.
In the event of a terrorist attack we would still need to seek shelter to protect ourselves from external radiation. We would wonder if food had been contaminated from fallout, and what direction the wind was blowing. And why did we postpone the trip to Antarctica?
One caution. Never, never consume tincture of iodine. This could be fatal. The poison warning on the bottle is there for good reason.
