Radiological Weapons:  NRC Stockpiling Potassium Iodide

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun plans to create stockpiles of the anti-radiation drug potassium iodide (see GSN, Nov. 16), the New York Times reported today.

Potassium iodide works to combat radioactive poisoning in humans by saturating the thyroid gland with normal iodine to prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine, according to the Times.  Iodine is a byproduct of nuclear reactions.  Because the drug must be taken before exposure to radiation or soon after, it must be stockpiled close to possible exposure sites to be effective.

The NRC has set aside $800,000 to buy millions of doses of potassium iodide to provide to states, according to the Times.  In 1998, the NRC offered potassium iodide free to any state that wanted to stockpile it, but rescinded the offer the following year.  The commission is also waiting for guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on how much radiation exposure warrants taking the drug and what doses would be recommended.

Previous guidelines were based on data taken after the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, the Times reported. New FDA guidelines, based on data taken from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Ukraine, would be more complex and would recommend using the drugs for much lower amounts of radiation exposure than had previously been thought, said FDA official David Orloff (Matthew Wald, New York Times, Nov. 29).

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