Health officials warn against taking potassium iodide
Health officials warn against taking potassium iodide
For more information
California Joint Emergency Operations Center hotline:
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon-Fri
(916) 341-3947
Centers for Disease Control 24-hour hotline:
1(800) CDC-INFO
California Poison Control 24-hour hotline:
1(800) 222-1222.
State health officials are urging the public not to take potassium iodide out of fear that radiation from stricken nuclear power plants in Japan might reach California.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said radiation has not and is not expected to reach California.
For people with thyroid problems or allergies to iodine and shellfish, taking potassium iodide can be harmful, said California Department of Public Health spokesman Ken August.
“Potassium iodide should not be taken unless there is a nuclear emergency," August said. "There are no increased levels of radiation reaching California.”
The California Poison Control System, which operates a statewide hotline, has received dozens of calls from people asking about taking potassium iodide, said Lee Cantrell, director of the system's San Diego division.
“We’ve gotten hundreds of calls statewide since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami,” said Cantrell, a pharmacist and clinical toxicologist. “The message we want to get out is there is no established risk to anyone in the U.S. right now from radiation. But taking potassium iodide can pose a health risk to certain individuals.”
For people exposed to radioactive material released during a reactor accident, taking potassium iodide raises the concentration of stable iodine in the blood and blocks absorption of radioactive iodine. Japanese officials have distributed tablets of potassium iodide to people living near the damaged reactors.
Cantrell said federal agencies have stockpiled potassium iodide tablets approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and formulated specifically for radiation emergencies. Public health agencies would distribute the tablets if needed, he said.
The state health department and other agencies opened the California Joint Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, establishing a hotline for the public to call with questions.
The federal Centers for Disease Control also have a 24-hour hotline.
The 24-hour poison control hotline, which in San Diego operates out of UCSD Medical Center, provides free, expert advice and referrals to callers concerned about exposure to toxic substances. That hotline number is 1(800) 222-1222.
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