How much potassium iodide should you stock?
One pack of IOSAT™ Potassium Iodide (14 tablets) or one pack of ThyroSafe Potassium Iodide is the FDA recommendation for person. Consider one pack of IOSAT™ or pack of ThyroSafe™ per adult or child for each storage location.
Potassium iodide should be taken each day you are exposed to radioactive iodine released from a nuclear reactor accident or plant or detonation of a nuclear weapon. Most likely you would not use up all doses of IOSAT™ or ThyroShield™ in a single radiation emergency. In all probability, the winds that brought the radioactive iodine plume into your area would have carried much of the airborne radiation away by then and you would have hopefully evacuated the affected area if directed to do so by health officials. You just don’t know how long you would be exposed to I-131 in advance.
For instance, if an adult is exposed to radioactive iodine (I-131) for two days he or she would take two IOSAT™ pills (one pill a day) and then stop, saving the remaining foil-sealed pills for future needs. However, if exposed for 14 days, an adult would take a pill a day using all 14 IOSAT™ tablets. (Potassium Iodide is not like an antibiotic in which one is required to complete the full regimen prescribed).
What is potassium iodide?
Stockpiling of potassium iodide (KI) is highly recommended by health officials worldwide to prevent thyroid cancer of those exposed to radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine is the predominant radioisotope released from a nuclear reactor accident or detonation of a nuclear weapon (due to nuclear fission) and can travel thousands of miles downwind.
How it works
The thyroid is the only part of the body that absorbs and stores iodine. By taking FDA Approved potassium iodide prior to exposure of radioactive iodine, you will fill up the thyroid with safe, stable iodine, stopping the thyroid’s absorption of any additional iodine (radioactive or not) long enough for the radioactive iodine inhaled or ingested to be safely dispersed through the kidneys.
Available FDA approved brands
IOSAT Potassium Iodide is the only FDA Approved full strength tablet (130mg) available to the public. ThyroSafe Potassium Iodide is the only FDA Approved half-strength tablet (65mg) available to the public. Any non-FDA Approved brands of potassium iodide should be avoided.
