After the nuclear detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cancers in the outlying areas shot up in frequency. In 1986, an explosion and fires at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine released radioactive waste that winds carried across much of Europe. After Chernobyl, cancer rates in surrounding regions, including those in Belarus, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation, went up by as much as 100 times – within only 4 years after the accident! Children were at the highest risk. They were exposed by drinking contaminated milk, eating contaminated food, and by inhaling radioiodine. Even very low levels of exposure increased cancer risks dramatically. After the same Chernobyl accident, though, 18 million children and adults in Poland were given KI to prevent cancers – with great success.

Today in the United States there are over 100 nuclear power reactors. On July 9, 2002 Congress approved a plan to transport their nuclear waste by truck and by train to a new central nuclear waste dump.

If radioactive iodine is released into the environment, either from an accident or from a “dirty” bomb, thyroid cancer is one of the main causes of death. Giving KI has been proven to prevent many cases of cancer from developing, particularly if started within 3 or 4 hours of the exposure and continued once a day for as long as the exposure continues.

The tablets should be started upon notification of the emergency: starting just before being exposed to the fallout is best. According to the FDA, healthy children under 18 and all pregnant or nursing women should take KI even with a predicted radiation exposure as low as 5 rads. Adults up to age 40 should take KI even with a predicated radiation exposure as low as 10 rads. For older adults, KI is recommended with a predicted exposure of >500 rads. People should discuss these recommendations with their own health care providers – especially people with thyroid problems or with allergies to iodine.

FDA approved KI tablets are available over-the-counter, and are easy to find online (brand name: IOSAT). They come in 65 mg and 130 mg tablets. The highest price I have seen is $0.72 per tablet. I’ve seen other brands for as little as $0.10 a tablet. The FDA recommended dose during an emergency is 16 mg a day for newborns; 32 mg a day for children one month to three years old; and 65 mg for all older children up to age 18 (unless they are approaching 150 pounds). The dose for adults is 130 mg.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations are slightly different. They recommend children receive KI at a predicted exposure of only 1 rad. They also recommend a dose of 130 mg for anyone over age 12. While the FDA recommendations make good sense on a population wide basis, I would personally follow the WHO recommendations for my own children.

For children who can’t or won’t swallow tablets, the KI can be diluted in milk, formula, or water.

After the loss of coolant led to a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, PA in 1979, more than a quarter million doses of potassium iodide were shipped to the area, but they didn’t arrive for 6 days. This was too late to help at all. KI is a simple, cheap, nonprescription preventive drug that belongs in the 21st century medicine cabinet – where I hope it will never need to be used!

Come chat with Dr. Greene to find out more!