Why do people rush to buy iodine tablets in Belgium?
Fears of nuclear radiation from Ukraine have prompted nearly 30,000 people in Belgium to go to pharmacies to buy iodine tablets. Here's how they work
The Belgian newspaper The Brussels Times reads that on Monday almost 30,000 Belgian residents went to the pharmacy to buy iodine tablets to protect themselves from nuclear radiation that could come from Ukraine: Russia – which invaded the country last week – has threatened the use of atomic weapons, and clashed with the Ukrainian army for possession of Chernobyl, a strategic position for the conquest of Kiev, the capital.
NOTICE FROM THE AUTHORITIES
However, the Belgian authorities recalled that the tablets, being medicines, should "under no circumstances" be taken as a precaution or on personal initiative.
The Federal Nuclear Control Agency said that "the current situation in Ukraine does not require the use of iodine tablets".
The situation actuelle in #Ukraine ne nécessite pas la prize de comprimés d ' #iode . Ils restent gratuitoment disponibles en pharmacie, mais ne sont pas nécessaires dans ce cas spécifique. Prenez uniquement de l'iode sur recommandation des autorités. https://t.co/Ck4jxKxGy9
– AFCN – FANC (@FANC_AFCN) February 28, 2022
THE NUMBERS
In total, 32,483 packs of iodine tablets were distributed in a single day: this is the highest number since 2018 , when the Belgian government launched an information campaign on nuclear risks (there are two power plants in the country) and started to make iodine tablets available free of charge in pharmacies. These tablets help reduce the buildup of radiation in the thyroid.
HOW IODIUM TABLETS WORK
In the event of a nuclear disaster and the consequent release of radioactive iodine – explains the Brussels Times -, the latter can enter the body through the respiratory tract or by ingesting contaminated food. As a result, the thyroid gland stores iodine until it is saturated, thus causing – we read in the newspaper – "radiation from within".
However, taking non-radioactive iodine pills in tablet form (at the appropriate time) allows you to saturate the thyroid and prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/belgio-compresse-iodio-nucleare-ucraina/ on Wed, 02 Mar 2022 15:37:09 +0000.