To all our friends in the path of the Tsunami!

[Andros]

Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers! If you are told to evacuate, don't delay....................get out as fast as you can.

No doubting Thomas here!

[McKenna]

Many prayers going out for them.
hugs2 hugs2 hugs2

[Debbie from Milwaukee]

I, too, am praying for the people in Japan. They are experiencing a quadruple crisis: the earthquake (with threat of a possible 8.0 aftershock still coming), the tsunami, the radiation issues at the ailing nuclear plant, and now the Japanese stock market is plunging.

I am wondering if we will get questions from the public RE: risk of thyroid cancer from radiation exposure. I understand that the normally calm and ordered people of Japan are understandably panicking now, and many are trying to flee Tokyo and other cities close to the nuclear plant.

It also hit me like a punch in the gut on Sunday when I first heard of the risk (albeit small) of a radiation cloud traveling to the U.S. west coast if massive amounts of radiation spew into the air in Japan, since my oldest daughter lives in Seattle. I suddenly realized what I instictively knew: we all are [B]so[B] interconnected with one another on this planet...

[McKenna]

People are fearing radiation exposure. I saw this on Fox News online today:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/15/drug-stores-report-sudden-increase-potassium-iodide-sales/


U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales
Published March 15, 2011 | FoxNews.com



U.S. drug stores are reporting a sudden increase in sales of over-the-counter anti-radiation pills, despite assurances from health officials that Americans are not at risk from Japanese nuclear reactors.

Potassium iodide pills, which prevent against radiation poisoning of the thyroid gland, are reportedly flying off the shelves at drug stores in at least three West Coast states -- Oregon, California and Hawaii -- according to several local press accounts.

The Wall Street Journal also reports that one Virginia-based supplier, Anbex Inc., sold out of its entire supply of 10,000 14-tablet packages on Saturday.

Alan Morris, president of the company, reportedly said that the supplier is receiving about three orders a minute for $10 packages of its Iosat pills.

"Those who don't get it are crying. They're terrified," Morris told the newspaper.

U.S. health officials have said that dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant in Japan pose little or no risk to people on the U.S. West Coast. But the reassurances have not stopped worried Americans from clearing out potassium iodide supplies at drug stores in Hawaii, Oregon, and California.

Stores in Eugene, Ore., for example, have reported a sudden spike in sales of the pill. Janell Davis, vitamin manager at Sundance Natural Foods, told the Register-Guard that the store was sold out of the tablets by Saturday afternoon. In Redding, Calif., some store owners say they can't stock their shelves fast enough with the tablets.

“As soon as we found out people were calling and coming in and emptying our shelves this morning, I called my boss and she told me to go ahead and order a bunch," Jan Gertner, who works at Whitney's Vitamin and Herb Shop, told krcrtv.com.

[nasdaqphil]

People are fearing radiation exposure. I saw this on Fox News online today:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/15/drug-stores-report-sudden-increase-potassium-iodide-sales/


U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales
Published March 15, 2011 | FoxNews.com



U.S. drug stores are reporting a sudden increase in sales of over-the-counter anti-radiation pills, despite assurances from health officials that Americans are not at risk from Japanese nuclear reactors.

Potassium iodide pills, which prevent against radiation poisoning of the thyroid gland, are reportedly flying off the shelves at drug stores in at least three West Coast states -- Oregon, California and Hawaii -- according to several local press accounts.

The Wall Street Journal also reports that one Virginia-based supplier, Anbex Inc., sold out of its entire supply of 10,000 14-tablet packages on Saturday.

Alan Morris, president of the company, reportedly said that the supplier is receiving about three orders a minute for $10 packages of its Iosat pills.

"Those who don't get it are crying. They're terrified," Morris told the newspaper.

U.S. health officials have said that dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant in Japan pose little or no risk to people on the U.S. West Coast. But the reassurances have not stopped worried Americans from clearing out potassium iodide supplies at drug stores in Hawaii, Oregon, and California.

Stores in Eugene, Ore., for example, have reported a sudden spike in sales of the pill. Janell Davis, vitamin manager at Sundance Natural Foods, told the Register-Guard that the store was sold out of the tablets by Saturday afternoon. In Redding, Calif., some store owners say they can't stock their shelves fast enough with the tablets.

“As soon as we found out people were calling and coming in and emptying our shelves this morning, I called my boss and she told me to go ahead and order a bunch," Jan Gertner, who works at Whitney's Vitamin and Herb Shop, told krcrtv.com.

You've got to be kidding me. Isn't Potassium Iodide the same stuff they give you in the lethal injection?

Im pretty sure its a water pill of sorts. Between the Potassium and the Iodine, these people are going to end up screwing up their thyroids or killing themselves with a Potassium overdose.

[McKenna]

Frightening, isn't it? If the experts are saying there's no risk right now, what are these people doing and whose advice are they following?


Here's more:
http://www.registerguard.com/web/updates/26006439-41/story.csp

Fallout: Eugene stores see a run on radiation exposure tablets
By Greg Bolt

The Register-Guard

Published: Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011 11:27AM

Fear that ocean-spanning nuclear fallout from damaged reactors in Japan could reach Oregon appears to be behind a sudden run on an over-the-counter pill sometimes recommended for radiation exposure.

But the fears are unjustified and could lead to health problems for some people who take the potassium iodide tablets, according to experts in nuclear energy and radiation health physics. No nuclear material from the Japanese reactors has reached North America, and even a reactor meltdown probably would result in only barely detectable radiation reaching the continent.

“We’re going to be lucky if we can even measure any of this,” said Professor Kathryn Higley, director of the Oregon State University nuclear engineering department. “Right now, the expectation is it’s going to be a locally contained event.”

That hasn’t stopped people from exhausting the supply of potassium iodine tablets at local drug and natural foods stores, however. The run began on Saturday, a day after a deadly earthquake and tsunami struck Japan and severely damaged three reactors at a nuclear energy plant.

Janell Davis, the vitamin manager for Sundance Natural Foods, said the store’s small supply of tablets was gone by Saturday afternoon. A spokeswoman at The Kiva said their supply is gone as well.

Potassium iodide is sometimes recommended for people who receive high doses of radiation, and the emergency plans for some nuclear plants in the United States call for distributing the tablets to people living close to a reactor if there is a catastrophic event.

But the pills provide no benefit for the small amounts of radiation that could reach Oregon, and some people can have a dangerous allergic reaction to the chemical, said Steven Reese, director of the Radiation Center at OSU.

Potassium iodide in large doses is used for people with significant exposure because it can use up the body’s capacity to take in iodine. That means radioactive iodine, one component of nuclear material that can be released in a catastrophic reactor event, can no longer be absorbed and passes through the body harmlessly.

But no such measure is called for with the current situation, Reese said.

“I would caution anybody against taking potassium iodide in an effort to protect themselves against radioactive iodine,” Reese said. “A certain fraction of the population will have an anaphylactic reaction to it; they’ll be allergic to it. And the consequences of that can be severe. You don’t do it unless you absolutely have to.”

Some people apparently believe the step is necessary. Davis said 80 percent of the phone calls Sundance has received since the weekend are inquiries about potassium iodide.

For now, though, it appears people will be coming up empty in any search for the tablets. Davis said she called several other stores and was not able to locate any with potassium iodide in stock, and one store called her looking for the tablets.

Davis said she was told by her supplier that potassium iodide is not available and that more will have to be manufactured before additional shipments can be made.

The demand for the tablets apparently extends well beyond Lane County. Amazon.com was carrying a 14-pack of the pills for $59.55, with one commenter complaining that the price had spiked twice in less than an hour.

Higley said people who fear nuclear contamination on American shores are overreacting and have little, if anything, to fear. She said even a worst-case scenario at the Japanese plants would not throw radioactive material high enough for it to travel almost 5,000 miles over the ocean to the West Coast.

According to weather experts, it would take about 10 days for a radioactive particle to make it from Japan to the West Coast, and then only if it traveled in a straight line at 20 mph. The turbulent atmosphere over the north Pacific could extend that time, making it even more likely the material would fall to the ocean as rain before reaching land.

Although she spoke Monday afternoon before reports of a third explosion at one of the reactors, Higley said the chances of an amount of radioactive material large enough to have even a minor affect on health making it to Oregon are negligible.

“Every hour that goes by, this reactor is getting cooler,” she said. “As time passes, the likelihood of really bad things taking place is diminishing pretty rapidly. It still looks like it’s going to be a local event.”

You don’t do it unless you absolutely have to.”

Steven Reese

OSU Radiation Center, regarding taking potassium iodide

[Debbie from Milwaukee]

Phil, I agree. I had a good friend who collapsed and later died in September, most likely because of heart arhythmia (and being without oxygen for too long). Those of us who were close to her found potassium supplement pills really handy in her cupboards. She was on high blood pressure meds, and I know that potassium supplement not ordered by a doc can interact with some high blood pressure meds to create heart arhythmia in people that have never had the condition.

[nasdaqphil]

Yeah, you don't mess with the old Sodium-Potassium pump. It could kill you. Sodium and Potassium work very closely in the body. Salt attracts water and Potassium expels it - that's why you avoid salt with high blood pressure. Lot's of salt will draw additional water into the blood cells making them bigger essentially and the extra blood volume creates higher pressure. Potassium has an ability to extricate water from cells - that's why you pee a lot after eating things like bananas or oranges....loaded with Potassium. Of course these foods are natural and in no way can overdose you when compared to supplements.

There is a fine balance between sodium and potassium and one must not shift one too far the other way or you end up throwing your heart and blood pressure out of whack if you don't kill yourself in the process.

[Andros]

You've got to be kidding me. Isn't Potassium Iodide the same stuff they give you in the lethal injection?

Im pretty sure its a water pill of sorts. Between the Potassium and the Iodine, these people are going to end up screwing up their thyroids or killing themselves with a Potassium overdose.

You got that right! I also "wondered" about that! Yikes!

[Andros]

Phil, I agree. I had a good friend who collapsed and later died in September, most likely because of heart arhythmia (and being without oxygen for too long). Those of us who were close to her found potassium supplement pills really handy in her cupboards. She was on high blood pressure meds, and I know that potassium supplement not ordered by a doc can interact with some high blood pressure meds to create heart arhythmia in people that have never had the condition.

Tch! OMG!! So sad. I think I remember when you lost your friend but I did not know what you just shared w/us.

[Debbie from Milwaukee]

Can you believe this?:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Surgeon-General-Buying-Iodine-Appropriate-118031559.html

This U.S. Surgeon General must have gotten her medical license in a Cracker Jack box! Oh, that Surgeon General Koop could have stayed in office for 100 years!!!

[nasdaqphil]

Its insane. A little RAI isn't gonna kill any of us anywho. It will probably only help those with thyroid trouble by finally nuking the gland.

I guess Iodine is released during nuclear fission and since it is irradiated, it is literally radioactive iodine - not all that different that the stuff the docs give you at the hospital to nuke your gland.

The IDIOTS who are buying this crap are going to walk around hyper for the next month from all the iodine. That's all we need.....a bunch of wired liberals running around Cali. :)

[lavender]

If I had a healthy gland, I would want to keep it that way. Same principle that applies to those who go into isolation after RAI. Protect those with healthy glands.

Although more people with dead thyroids might mean more money for research and more people advocating for natural thyroid meds!

After watching a documentary on Chernobyl, and seeing the birth defects that are still happening to this day, I question the notion that the thyroid is the only thing affected. Makes me glad I stuck with my gut and went for surgery.

[GD Women]

Subject: Before and After The tsunami.

This is a great way to view the before and after scenes of the earthquake in Japan.

You can put your mouse on the line in the center of each picture and drag it left and right...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

[McKenna]

10 Things You Should Know About Protecting Your Thyroid From Radiation
By Mary Shomon, About.com Guide March 17, 2011

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2011/03/17/10-things-protecting-thyroid-from-radiation.htm?nl=1

Frankly, the panicked rush to buy up every single bit of potassium iodide -- in the unlikely event that a toxic radioactive plume from Japan passes over the United States -- is getting fairly ridiculous.

I live about an hour's drive from a nuclear plant, and so for more than ten years, I have always kept enough potassium iodide on hand for my entire family, just to be prepared in the unlikely event of a nuclear accident or attack on the nearby nuclear facility.

But the frenzy taking place the past few days is rather amazing. I can't open up an email, or turn on a television show, without seeing a doctor, health expert, or some other self-appointed "radiation emergency" talking head spouting bad advice. Usually, it's someone who has absolutely no idea whatsoever about thyroid disease or use of potassium iodide as a radiation blocker.

Meanwhile, I have had more emails and calls from otherwise rational friends and family members who are desperately trying to get potassium iodide, or who can't get it, and therefore want to know if they can load up on iodized salt, or seaweed salad, or kelp pills, to protect their thyroid from Japanese radiation.

Yes, it really is getting this out of control.

Let's take a look at ten things you should know about protecting your thyroid from radiation.

1. All potassium iodide can do is protect the thyroid from one radioactive isotope -- radioactive iodine. It is NOT an "Armageddon pill" or a "radiation protector pill." When taken properly, potassium iodide can saturate the thyroid with iodine, and prevent it from absorbing radioactive iodine, which can prevent the increased risk of thyroid cancer associated with radiation exposure.

2. Now, about taking potassium iodide properly...It must be the proper form -- potassium iodide -- and it must be in the proper doses, and it must be taken at the proper time. That means, it must be taken in the hours before and after the radioactive plume is passing over your area. Not days before. Not days later. If you're taking potassium iodide now, and it's days before any radioactive fallout (if any) has reached you, then you are not only wasting your money, but you are potentially risking your health.

Want to know exactly how much to take, how to take it, and when? These official guidelines from the experts will help:

•Potassium Iodide (KI): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fact Sheet
•FDA: Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide (KI)
•Department of Health and Human Services Report - Guidance: Potassium Iodide as a Thyroid Blocking Agent in Radiation Emergencies (PDF)
3. If you have had Graves' disease and were already treated with radioactive iodine, potassium iodide would not be necessary to protect your thyroid against radiation.
4. If you have had your thyroid surgically removed, potassium iodide would not be necessary to protect your thyroid against radiation.

5. If you are not in Japan, the likelihood that you will need potassium iodide in the next several days or weeks to protect your thyroid against radiation is VERY small.

6. Most experts have indicated that harmful levels of radiation from the Japanese leak are not likely to reach the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The risk that Japan's radioactive plume will be able to not only travel many thousands of miles, but that the radiation would remain intact and no be dispersed, is, according to experts, very negligible.

7. In a radiation emergency, the risk of developing thyroid cancer is thought to justify the risk of taking potassium iodide. But if you are not directly in the path of the radioactive plume, potassium iodide will not only not protect you from anything, but it MAY INCREASE your risk of developing thyroid problems. Let's be clear about this. Potassium iodide can trigger or worsen hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, worsen existing thyroid conditions, cause conditions such as the Jod-Basedow phenomena, and the Wolff-Chaikoff effect,, and ultimately cause temporary or even permanent thyroid conditions. It can also cause sialadenitis (an inflammation of the salivary gland), gastrointestinal disturbances, allergic reactions and rashes.

8. There are three FDA-approved forms of potassium iodide: Iosat Tablets (130 mg), ThyroSafe Tablets (65 mg) and ThyroShield Solution (65 mg/ml.)

9. If you are paying more than around $20 for a bottle of potassium iodide in any form, then you are a victim of severe price gouging due to the current panic buying frenzy.

10. There are nuclear reactors located across America (See a map from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission showing where they are located.) To protect us against any future radiation emergencies that could affect you locally, you may want to have potassium iodide on hand as part of your family emergency kit. (But don't pay the currently inflated price...wait until the prices return to normal.)