Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sales of iodine tablets have been increasing in Europe and it has been reported that there has been a shortage in Finland recently. The Finnish government’s recommendation to have a single-dose iodine tablet in every home in case of a nuclear attack led to shortages in pharmacies.
Other countries in Europe, including Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic, are also reportedly buying iodine tablets in the belief that they provide protection in the event of a nuclear war.
While potassium iodide can protect against certain types of radiation, experts in Europe and various nuclear officials emphasize that taking the tablets is not necessary for many people and will not help in the event of a nuclear attack.
The relationship between iodine and nuclear radiation became widely known after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. During the meltdown of the nuclear power plant, iodine-131, a radioactive form of iodine, was emitted from the core of the reactor. Iodine-131 is readily absorbed by the thyroid glands and causes radioactive damage to your DNA and surrounding tissue with a half-life of eight days. It is estimated that 270,000 people in the region who would probably not have cancer had this not happened, developed cancer, largely due to iodine-131, which contributes to their thyroid cancer.
But iodine-127 stands out as a non-radioactive isotope of iodine that can help stop your body from absorbing the radioactive form. Different from its deadly, cancer-causing counterpart by only four neutrons, Iodine-127 is radioactively stable and therefore does not cause radioactive damage to your body. It works by providing all the iodine your body needs and by eliminating your need for iodine. Non-radioactive iodine and the potassium salt potassium iodide work just as well.
“When a person takes the right amount of [potassium iodide] at the right time, it can help prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The statement continues: “This works because the thyroid has already absorbed [potassium iodide] and there is no place to absorb the radioactive iodine. Consider filling a jar with blue marbles. If you then pour green marbles over the jar, they will simply spill onto the floor because there is no room.”
During the Chernobyl event, the ring was given potassium iodide. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says although it is not possible to quantify how many lives it has saved, it could have saved many more children from developing thyroid cancer if it were more widely distributed.
Unable to reverse the damage done
While potassium iodide may be useful against iodine-131, other types of radiation are also emitted by these disasters. Also, taking it will only be useful in the event of a nuclear accident and will not reverse the damage already experienced. Moreover, unnecessary ingestion can cause serious illness and death, as well as rash and inflammation.
While governments like Finland advise people to have a dose on hand, this is more because of the potential threats posed by Russia’s takeover of nuclear power plants, rather than any concerns about the possible use of nuclear weapons. Also, governments stress that you don’t need to take these doses until you’re told.
The Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control sent a tweet saying, “The current situation in [Ukraine] does not require taking [iodine tablets]”. In the country, these tablets are available for free in the pharmacy.
According to Brooke Buddemeier, a health physicist and radiation expert at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, iodine tablets would offer little protection in the event of a nuclear attack. Buddemeier said in a 2017 interview with Business Insider that irradiated iodine would only make up 0.2 percent of the total exposure you would experience.
