What are potassium iodide pills? Radiation fears prompt panic buying

Fears of nuclear radiation have ignited a global run on potassium iodide tablets since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Manufacturers have ramped up production of the tablets, which provide limited protection against radiation sickness, CNN reported.

Some dosages are sold out.

“In the past five days we’ve probably sold as much as what typically would take us half a year to sell,” Troy Jones, vice president of sales and marketing for New York-based Anbex Inc., told the network.

The company has sold up to 15 million pills since February, Jones told CNN.

Shortages also have led to price-gouging. Twenty tablets of ThyroSafe, which contains potassium iodide, are selling for $175 on eBay, The Washington Post reported.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is potassium iodide?

Potassium iodide is a “stable chemical relative of the element iodine,” according to The Washington Post. It comes in tablet or liquid form and doesn’t require a prescription.

It’s an important chemical needed by the human body, CNN reported.

Your thyroid gland uses iodine to produce hormones that help regulate your mood, memory, weight, energy levels and mental clarity. The body doesn’t produce iodine so it’s an important part of your diet, WebMD said.

Can potassium iodide protect you from radiation?

Potassium iodide can prevent your thyroid gland from absorbing harmful radioactive iodine — but that’s all, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

It “does not keep radioactive iodine from entering the body and cannot reverse the health effects caused by radioactive iodine once the thyroid is damaged,” the CDC reported.

Here’s how it works: Your thyroid gland can’t tell the difference between types of iodine, so if it has sufficient potassium iodide it won’t absorb radioactive iodine.

But the protection may not be 100% depending on when and how much potassium iodide is taken. And you can’t get enough potassium iodide from table salt or iodine-rich foods.

It doesn’t protect the body from other forms of radiation, nor does it protect other organs from radioactive iodine.

Why is radioactive iodine dangerous?

Research shows a link between radioactive iodine exposure and thyroid cancer, The Washington Post reported.

Following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown in modern-day Ukraine, thyroid cancer cases spiked in the region.

How does radioactive iodine get into your body?

Nuclear accidents or explosions can release radioactive iodine into the air, according to the New York Department of Health.

Internal contamination can happen when you breathe or eat radioactive iodine, which can then be absorbed by your thyroid gland.

Should you take potassium iodide pills?

There are health risks associated with taking potassium iodide, or KI, the CDC said.

“People should take KI (potassium iodide) only on the advice of public health or emergency management officials,” according to the CDC.

Only people who are internally contaminated or likely to be internally contaminated with radioactive iodine should take potassium iodide.

Why are people buying potassium iodide pills?

Fears of nuclear radiation, whether from war or accidents, have risen with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, experts said.

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts early Thursday, Feb. 24, “bombarding cities, towns and villages” as forces advanced toward the capital of Kyiv.

Other nations around the world, including the United States, have enacted strict sanctions on Russia.

Ukraine, the second-largest nation in Europe by land mass, was part of the former Soviet Union until it declared independence in 1991. It is not a NATO member.

On Feb. 27, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to an elevated alert status comparable to DefCon 2 in the United States, Newsweek reported.

On Monday, March 14, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said the prospect of nuclear war is “now back within the realm of possibility”

And Russian forces have seized the former nuclear plant at Chernobyl, which has since repeatedly lost power, sparking fears of radiation leaks.

Will supplies of potassium iodide pills run out?

Annex Inc. is out of stock on some doses of potassium iodide, according to its website.

“We hope to be back in stock in early April but we’re pushing for late March,” Jones told CNN..

London-based BTG Specialty Pharmaceuticals, maker of ThyroSafe, also has seen a spike in demand across Europe and the United states, CNN reported.

The company has paused personal orders but is still filling orders from governments, military and public health agencies.

This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 3:09 PM with the headline "What are potassium iodide pills? Radiation fears prompt panic buying."