The Russo-Ukraine War has been going on for 20 days.
sharpener war in ukraine There has been an astonishing increase in the demand for potassium iodide tablets. Fear of radioactive fallout from accidental or intentional attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear plants is the trigger behind the boom.
If such an attack occurs, it releases radioactive iodine into the atmosphere, which can be absorbed by the lungs or thyroid gland.
What is Potassium Iodide (KI)?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CC), potassium iodide (represented as KI) is a salt of immobilized iodine that may help prevent radioactive iodine from being absorbed by the thyroid gland, thus protecting this gland from radiation injury. saves.
This type of injury can damage the thyroid gland, which produces many of the hormones the body controls, and can even lead to cancer.
The CDC further states that table salt and foods rich in iodine do not contain enough iodine to block radioactive iodine from getting to your thyroid gland. It has advised not to use table salt or food as a substitute for KI.
How does KI work?
The thyroid gland cannot tell the difference between fixed and radioactive iodine. It will absorb both.
According to the CDC, potassium iodide will prevent radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. “When a person takes KI, the stable iodine in the drug is absorbed by the thyroid. Because KI contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland becomes saturated and cannot absorb any more iodine for the next 24 hours, It added.
prices go up
CNN told That the list of manufacturers in the United States has been exhausted since the start of the Russian invasion. Then the price of Thyrosafe potassium iodide tablet available in the US has been increased.
London-based BTG Specialty Pharmaceuticals said there is also an increasing demand for the company’s potassium iodide products in the US, according to CNN.
panic buying in europe too
according to a Report in FortuneFearing escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine has led some Europeans to stockpile iodine tablets.
In Belgium, around 30,000 residents went to pharmacies for free pills after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his nuclear deterrent forces were on high alert, the Brussels Times reported.
A Bloomberg report said the demand for potassium iodide tablets in Finland has increased 100-fold since the start of the Russo-Ukraine War.
When should the pills be taken?
Potassium iodide tablets should be taken only if there is a real risk of imminent exposure to radiation. The CDC website states that taking a stronger dose of KI, or taking it more often than recommended, does not provide much protection and can lead to serious illness or death.