Potassium iodide goes nuclear
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
State and local governments should make potassium iodide pills available to people age 40 and younger living near nuclear power plants, especially children and pregnant and lactating women, according to a report from the National Academies' Research Council to be published in early 2004. Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a Nuclear Incident also calls on the federal government to provide financial support to states to help implement distribution plans and keep back-up stores. Research Council asks FDA to extend allowable shelf life for tablets being stored for an emergency. Although the pill can protect against thyroid cancer after an incident, it "will not protect the body against other types of radioactive isotopes released during nuclear reactor incidents or those likely to be used in a so-called dirty bomb," authors note...