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dreadgeek · 03-16-2011, 08:19 PM

So, I know that a number of folks posted about getting Potassium Iodide and expressing some concern about it being unavailable. I'd like to put your minds at ease.

Potassium iodide works by preventing the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine-131, an isotope (kind) of iodine produced in nuclear fission reactions. The thyroid will only take up so much iodine, and Potassium iodide is treated by the body as iodine. So, if you saturate the thyroid with Potassium iodide it won't take up (absorb) the radioactive material.

Now, should you be taking it right now? No. Will it hurt you? Probably not*, Potassium iodide has other uses. But at this point, there is simply no need for you to be taking it--at least not if you aren't already taking it. Firstly, the radiation near the nuclear plant has not and, at this point, is not likely to reach the West coast of the United States. As I said last night, in order for there to be a serious risk of a radiation risk on the West coast all of the worst possible things would have to happen in sequence. While it is very scary, it is simply not that big a threat to the continental United States.

You aren't doing yourself any harm--at least none that I could find--but you aren't doing anything helpful either.

*If you are allergic to iodine you should *not* take potassium iodide.

Cheers
Aj

03-16-2011, 08:19 PM	#93
dreadgeek Power Femme How Do You Identify?: Cinnamon spiced, caramel colored, power-femme Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: Married to a wonderful horse girl Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Lat: 45.60 Lon: -122.60 Posts: 1,733 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,132 Thanked 6,844 Times in 1,493 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	Why potassium iodide helps (but you don't need to be taking it now anyway) So, I know that a number of folks posted about getting Potassium Iodide and expressing some concern about it being unavailable. I'd like to put your minds at ease. Potassium iodide works by preventing the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine-131, an isotope (kind) of iodine produced in nuclear fission reactions. The thyroid will only take up so much iodine, and Potassium iodide is treated by the body as iodine. So, if you saturate the thyroid with Potassium iodide it won't take up (absorb) the radioactive material. Now, should you be taking it right now? No. Will it hurt you? Probably not, Potassium iodide has other uses. But at this point, there is simply no need for you to be taking it--at least not if you aren't already taking it. Firstly, the radiation near the nuclear plant has not and, at this point, is not likely to reach the West coast of the United States. As I said last night, in order for there to be a serious risk of a radiation risk on the West coast all of the worst possible things would have to happen in sequence. While it is very scary, it is simply not that big a threat to the continental United States. You aren't doing yourself any harm--at least none that I could find--but you aren't doing anything helpful either. If you are allergic to iodine you should not take potassium iodide. Cheers Aj __________________ Proud member of the reality-based community. "People on the side of The People always ended up disappointed, in any case. They found that The People tended not to be grateful or appreciative or forward-thinking or obedient. The People tended to be small-minded and conservative and not very clever and were even distrustful of cleverness. And so, the children of the revolution were faced with the age-old problem: it wasn’t that you had the wrong kind of government, which was obvious, but that you had the wrong kind of people. As soon as you saw people as things to be measured, they didn’t measure up." (Terry Pratchett) Last edited by dreadgeek; 03-16-2011 at 08:34 PM. Reason: Tip o' the hat to Corkey. Thanks dude.