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Thursday, April 10, 2003Households, schools and child-care centers near nuclear power plants should keep potassium iodide pills on hand to protect children from thyroid cancer in the event of a release of radiation, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended. ...Potassium iodide, known by its chemical abbreviation, KI, can block the body's absorption of harmful radiation. The federal Food and Drug Administration has recommended that it be taken as soon as a radioactive cloud containing iodine is close by. The pills may still have some protective effect even three to four hours after exposure. Some key points of the recommendations: -All children at risk should receive KI before exposure, if possible, or immediately afterward. This will require that KI be available in homes located within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. Child care facilities and schools within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant should plan to stockpile the agent. It may be prudent to consider stockpiling KI within a larger radius because of more distant windborne fallout, as occurred after Chernobyl; this will be determined by local and national public health authorities. -Because radioiodines pass into breast milk, pediatricians should caution lactating mothers not to breastfeed their infants after the release of radioiodines, unless no alternative is available. The restriction is temporary, until public health authorities declare it safe to go back to breastfeeding. Public health authorities will also advise about the safe consumption of produce and milk after a radiation disaster. Potassium iodide is available over the counter. Here's a dosing chart and some general information. posted by Sydney on 4/10/2003 07:30:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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