IODIDE DISTRIBUTION

"France Distributes Iodine Near Reactors'' by M. Balter, Science 275, pp 1871-1872 (1997), reports that the French government has decided to distribute potassium iodide to 600,000 citizens who live within six miles of France's 59 nuclear reactors or four other nuclear installations. This will enable them to protect themselves from thyroid cancer caused by increased ingestion of radioactive iodide in case of accident. As described in detail, including dosages and methods of administration, in Nuclear War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearny, pp 111-116 and 152-154, published by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, 2251 Dick George Road, Cave Junction, OR 97523, saturating the thyroid gland with oral doses of potassium iodide prevents the further uptake of iodide by that gland. This is particularly important to children, since they are especially susceptible to thyroid cancer induced by radioactive iodide.

The only significant long-term radiation-induced disease documented to date from the Chernobyl accident has been an increased incidence of thyroid cancer in children living in the Ukraine. Few deaths have resulted because treatment is usually successful, but this is certainly a condition that can and should be avoided. M. Balter states, erroneously, that the increase in thyroid cancer after Chernobyl was "many times higher than had been predicted.'' The 70 extra thyroid cancer cases (see Access to Energy 22, No. 11, p 3 (1995)) seven years after the accident (probably more by now) was not unexpected.

Civil defense experts have warned for decades that potassium iodide and suitable instructions for its use should be stored for the protection of the American people in case of nuclear accident, terrorism, or war, but this has not been done. Instead, under the Clinton Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has now completely ended all of its programs for nuclear preparedness.

At the present time, as a result of Clinton Administration actions, even the approximately 200,000 radiation survey meters and two million radiation dosimeters that have been maintained for radiation measurement by Americans in case of nuclear emergency are being sent to landfills - with the exception of those few that are being saved by private civil defense groups and some state government workers.

•	Science and Humility
•	ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE
•	MOLECULAR CLOCKS
•	RADON AND EARTHQUAKES
•	GLOBAL THERMOMETERS
•	*IODIDE DISTRIBUTION*
•	SAN DIEGO
•	STARK RAVING MAD
•	GOOD READING

Vol. 24, No. 9

Newsletter: Access to Energy Newsletter Archive
Volume: Issues
Issue/No.: Vol. 24, No. 9

Date: May 01, 1997 01:10 PM
Title: Science and Humility