Fears of a radioactive catastrophe from Russia’s war in Ukraine have prompted people all over Europe to stock up on iodine tablets.
Since violence erupted near the Chernobyl nuclear plant last week, and after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, pharmacies in at least three EU nations have reported a rise in demand.
According to nuclear medicine experts, the pills should only be administered under the supervision of public health officials.
Over 30,000 cartons were handed on Monday alone, according to the Belgian Pharmacists’ Union, according to the Belga news agency. Those possessing a Belgian identity card can get the tablets for free from pharmacies in Belgium.
In Finland and the Netherlands, demand has risen dramatically in the last week. Some pharmacies were out of stock over the weekend, but the Finnish Association of Pharmacists stated there was no need to stockpile the tablets because there were many available.
Why is there such a dramatic increase in demand?
In retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his generals to place the country’s nuclear deterrent forces on a “high alert mode of standby combat duty” on Sunday.
It was an unusual step that provoked outrage among NATO members in the West, as well as demands from China for calm and prudence.
While Putin’s instruction is frightening, Pavel Podvig, a top nuclear armaments expert and senior researcher with the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, told Euronews Next earlier this week that a nuclear attack is unlikely.
“The message here is essentially to warn the United States that any attempt to strike Russian nuclear forces would be worthless in the end and Russian forces would be able to respond,” he said.
What is the mechanism of action of iodine pills?
According to the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, iodine pills can be used to lower the danger of thyroid cancer developing in the case of a nuclear disaster.
When inhaling polluted air, radioactive iodine emitted during such an occurrence can be absorbed by the thyroid gland. Iodine tablets help to prevent this absorption, which lowers the chance of thyroid cancer.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, on the other hand, emphasizes that it is a “highly specialized protection.”
“In the event of a radiological disaster, evacuation is the most effective protective strategy,” it states.
“Because it protects the entire body from all radionuclides and exposure paths, including the thyroid gland and other organs.”
Is it time for me to start taking iodine supplements?
Dr. Hielke Freerk Boersma, a radiation protection expert at the University of Groningen, told Euronews Next that “to what extent iodine tablets would be useful against the consequences of nuclear weapons is at the very least questionable.”
“Nuclear explosions will have catastrophic immediate impacts. Radioactive contamination will almost definitely not be generated solely by radioactive iodine at such distances, where the fallout will presumably dominate.”
“Unnecessary usage of iodine tablets (which may occur when people are panicked) may have undesirable health effects, though the likelihood of these effects occurring is very minimal.”
The Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) in Belgium has likewise advised against using the tablets.
