It's a late Thursday night. You're dominating a beer pong tournament on the back porch. It's down to the final cup. The other team sinks the last shot, and you're left swallowing the sour taste of defeat as well as that last cup of even more putrid Natty Lite.
"Wait guys! Wait," you exclaim. "I've got to test it for biological and radiological contaminants. You never know what could be in there. I might catch something. That's why I've been taking antibiotics in preparation for tonight's party."
Absurd, right? Why would one take a pill and risk the side effects if there is no credible reason to do so? Well, explain that to the hoards of shoppers across America who have raided our country's supply of potassium iodide in response to the nuclear incident taking place on the other side of the planet. People may have some misconceptions, so let's review the relationship between iodine and health in the context of radioactivity.
To begin, there is no credible threat of radiation from Japan spreading to the United States in any quantity significant enough to cause generalized radiation danger in the form of acute radiation sickness, which can be lethal. In fact, experts such as David Brenner, the director of Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research, believe that risk is very low for Japanese citizens, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Even if one lives next door to the leaking nuclear reactor, taking potassium iodide would not mitigate the risks of acute radiation sickness from exposure to high doses of radiation.
Potassium iodide only impacts the potential health of the thyroid gland in the neck by reducing the impact of environmental leaked radioactive iodine gas. If that gas settles in the water or gets into the food supply, then people possibly could ingest certain quantities of radioactive iodine. This doesn't impact much of the body when diluted in the blood, but the thyroid gland in your neck concentrates iodine to make thyroid hormones. Concentrated radioactive iodine could damage surrounding thyroid tissue or possibly cause thyroid cancer if one ingests large quantities of radioactive iodine. The idea behind taking potassium iodide is to make sure the thyroid takes up non-radioactive iodine from the pills instead of too much of the radioactive iodine from the contaminated environment.
For the Japanese nuclear reactor to pose any risk whatsoever to our thyroids here in Charlottesville, a significant amount of radioactive iodine gas has to make its way undiluted across the entire Pacific Ocean, over the continental U.S., and drop out of the sky right on Central Grounds. For that reason, Greg Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has stated, "We see a very low likelihood - really, a very low probability - that there's any possibility of harmful radiation levels in the United States or in Hawaii or any other U.S. territories." If Hawaii, already halfway to Japan, is doing fine, I think I'll pass on the potassium iodide and pick up some toothpaste at CVS instead.
Just like taking unneeded antibiotics, taking too much iodine can be hazardous to one's health. Too much potassium iodide can cause skin reactions, gastro-intestinal problems, pregnancy complications and adverse reactions with commonly prescribed blood pressure medications. Potassium iodide is not something that should be taken impulsively without consulting one's physician about current medications and other health risks. Like many products at health food stores and vitamin shops, potassium iodide has a serious impact on the body, though it does not require a doctor's prescription.
Actually, I'd argue you've got a far better chance of ingesting some bacteria from the ping-pong ball that's been rolling around the dirty porch and dunking in your brew than you do getting cancer from a nuclear incident on the other side of the planet. So break out the microbiology lab Thursday night. It makes more sense than partaking in the mass hysteria which has emptied our country's shelves of potassium iodide.
Tom Mendel is a University Medical student. He can be reached at t.mendel@cavalierdaily.com
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