Apr 8 2003
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that families, schools and daycare facilities that are located near or downwind of nuclear power plants should have thyroid-protective potassium iodide pills available for children in the event of a release of radiation. The academy announced the policy on April 3, 2003 in a press release.( Read press release now). Dr. Sophie Balk, the pediatrician who leads the committee that developed the policy, told the New York Times that the new policy was "prompted by concerns about terrorism and the war in Iraq."
Potassium iodide, which is sometimes referrerd to by its chemical abbreviation KI, has the ability to block the thyroid's absorption of potentially damaging radiation. The Food and Drug Administration recommends taking KI as soon as a radioactive cloud containing iodine is close by, and the pills can help somewhat even in the hours after exposure. The pills block the thyroid's iodine receptors, and can prevent absorption of the radioactive iodine, dramatically reducing risk of radiation-caused thyroid cancer and thyroid disease.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation, in part because they are closer to the ground, where fallout settles and because their bodies absorb and metabolize substances differently. Children exposed to the radioactivity after the Chernobyl accident, for example, have very high rates of thyroid cancer, compared to other children.
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, many states have made potassium iodide available in areas around reactors. KI pills are also available over the counter at drugstores, on the Internet and by telephone from some suppliers.
