July 19: The Importance of Potassium Iodide (KI) in a Radiation Emergency

How important is it to have potassium iodide (KI) available during a radiation emergency?

The thyroid gland in the human body is especially vulnerable to radioactive iodide during a radiation emergency.   The thyroid gland will readily absorb the radioactive iodine 131 that enters your body and the iodine could remain there for weeks or even months.  The advantage having and taking potassium iodide before you are exposed is that your thyroid will be inundated or flooded with the non-radioactive iodide, therefore “filling up” your thyroid and blocking the dangerous radioactive iodide from being absorbed in the gland. It is important to note that KI will not keep radioactive iodine from entering your body; it will only protect your vulnerable thyroid gland from absorbing the toxic radiation.

So how important is it to protect your thyroid gland? Well let’s take a look at history.  According to the World Health Organization revised estimates, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster will cause 50,000 new cases of thyroid cancer among young people living in the areas most affected by the disaster.  Children are especially vulnerable to long term thyroid problems associated with radiation.   The rate of thyroid cancer in adolescents aged 15-18 is now 3 times higher than it was before the 1986 disaster.  The incidence of thyroid cancer in children in the Ukraine is now 10 times higher than it was before the nuclear disaster.  The most alarming increase is in children who were ages 4 and under when the Chernobyl accident occurred.  Researchers have found that in certain parts of Belarus, up to 37% of these children have or can expect to develop thyroid cancer in their lifetimes.  It is still unknown what the long term effects of the Japan nuclear disaster might be.

One important factor to consider is that you will need to take a potassium iodide supplement (like Thyrosafe) at least 45 minutes - 1 hour before being exposed to radioactive iodide.  This highlights the importance of having a supply of potassium iodide included with your basic emergency supplies.  During a real nuclear disaster KI supplies will vanish within hours, or even minutes and it will be too late to run to the store or order any KI once an event has started.

It is recommended that you should take a potassium iodide solution only after being instructed by local emergency personnel to do so; however, I believe in some cases you will have you use your own discretion.  One dose of KI will last 24 hours. The recommended doses are as follows:

·         Adults (including women who are breastfeeding) or children who are adult size and over 150lbs should take 130 mg per day (two 65 mg tablets in Thyrosafe OR two mL of solution with the Potassium Iodide Vial USP Mixture).

·         Children between 3 and 18 years of age and under 150 lbs should take 65 mg per day (one 65 mg tablet of Thyrosafe OR 1 mL of solution of the Potassium Iodide Vial USP Mixture).

·         Infants and children between 1 month and 3 years of age should take 32 mg (½ of a 65 mg tablet of Thyrosafe OR ½ mL of solution of the Potassium Iodide Vial USP Mixture). This includes both nursing and non-nursing infants and children.

·         Newborns from birth to 1 month of age should be given 16 mg (¼ of a 65 mg tablet of Thyrosafe or ¼ mL of solution of the Potassium Iodide Vial USP Mixture). This dose is for both nursing and non-nursing newborn infants.  Infants who receive KI should have their thyroid hormone levels checked and monitored by a doctor due to the risk of developing hypothyroidism. Avoid repeat dosing of KI to newborns if at all possible.

Taking higher doses than the recommended does not offer any higher level of protection.  You should stop taking potassium iodide once the threat has dissolved or once you have evacuated the area.  It is important to stock up on your KI now and not wait for the next disaster.  Visit the Shepherd Survival Radiation protection page HERE.

Tags: ki potassium iodide, potassium iodide ki, potassium iodide solution, iodides, potassium iodide chemical, potassium iodide use, use of potassium iodide, iodine iodide, iodides, how does potassium iodide work, iodine, iodine radiation

July 6: July Giveaway!!!

Announcing a new monthly giveaway!

July's giveaway: You could win one of our Adventure Medical Sportsman First Aid Kits (a $38 value)! This first aid kit is excellent for the home, car, or any outdoor adventure.

 Want to win this product? There are three ways to enter! Here's how:

1. Like us on Facebook
2. http://twitter.com/shepherdsupply
3. Share our link on your Facebook page

Each option counts as an entry into the giveaway. You must leave a comment on the giveaway post on our Facebook page, letting us know all the ways you have entered, in order to be included in the drawing for the giveaway. Winner will be announced August 1!!!

July 5: Types of Radiation & Your Radiation Exposure Limit

Types of Radiation and your Radiation exposure limit

What is Radiation exactly?  A simple definition of Radiation is energy sent out in the form of waves or particles.  It is invisible, silent, and odorless.  You are being exposed to radiation as you read this: from the earth, the sky, the sun, and the world around us.  We refer to it as background radiation.  Radiation is given off by a wide variety of processes, such as thermal activity, nuclear reactions, and by radioactive decay.

The 3 most common types of radiation are Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation. 

·         Gamma radiation is essentially photons, except with much higher energy, that can travel hundreds of miles through the air.  Gamma radiation and x-rays are basically the same thing (a high energy wave), the difference being in how they are produced.  A massive amount of gamma radiation is released during a nuclear blast or a nuclear plant meltdown.  Gamma is considered the most dangerous form of radiation due to its ability to travel long distances and penetrate through the body.

·         Beta radiation is made up of fast moving electrons.  Beta, unlike gamma, is a particle and is capable of penetrating through several feet of air.  They are most dangerous when combined with fallout dust and is taken into the body through the lungs or with contaminated food or water.

·         Alpha radiation is made up of fast moving helium atoms.  They contain very high energy, but due to their large mass they can be stopped by simply a few inches of air or a sheet of paper.  The concern with Alpha, like Beta, is when it is absorbed into the body by getting inhaled or ingested.  The number of lung cancer cases from inhaled alpha particles among uranium miners is much higher than the general population.

How can these levels of radiation be quantified?  There are many different radiation units that are used, so it can get confusing.  The following units of radiation are what you will most likely run across: Roentgen (R), RAD, REM, Sieverts (sV), and Gray (Gy).  How are all these related?

·         Roentgen(R) is a unit of exposure used to measure the strength of a radiation field at some point in air. The main advantage of this unit is that it is easy to measure directly with a high range survey meter or Geiger counter, but it is limited because it is only for deposition in air, and only for gamma and x rays.

·         RAD stands for “Radiation Absorbed Dose” and represents the amount of radiation actually absorbed by some material.  Different materials that receive the same exposure may not always absorb the same amount of energy.  Therefore a RAD is used to refer to the total concentration of radiation that was absorbed in that material or body.  For simplification: 1 Roentgen of Gamma Radiation exposure will result in approximately 1 RAD of absorbed dose.  1 RAD is the equivalent of 0.01 Gray (Gy), the standard SI unit.

·         REM stands for “Roentgen Equivalent Man”.  Some forms of radiation are more efficient at transferring energy from one object to the next.  Therefore the REM unit levels the field by giving certain types of radiation multiplication factor (X).  REM = RAD * X.  For gamma and beta radiation, X = 1.  For alpha radiation, the X factor can be as high as 20. 1 REM is the equivalent of 0.01 Sieverts (sV).  1 RAD of Gamma or Beta Radiation exposure will equal 1 REM of dose.  Therefore, it can be said that 1 Roentgen = 1 RAD = 1 REM.  Devices like the Nukalert will measure radiation doses of 0.1 R/Hr, all the way up to 50+ R/Hr, which is an optimal range when finding your way out of a radiation zone.

What exactly are your radiation exposure limits?   The average American receives approximately 0.5 REMs (or 0.005 sV) of radiation per year from a wide variety of sources: cosmic, rocks, medical procedures (xrays, etc), Radon, internal sources, and consumer products.  The maximum annual dose permitted by US radiation workers is 5 REM (.05 sV).  The lowest dose that has been associated with a detectable increase in cancer rates is 10 REM (.1 sV) when absorbed over a short period of time.  For reference, the Chernobyl incident recorded doses of at least 43 REM for some of the closest to the radiation plume.   100 REMs when absorbed in a short period of time, is enough to cause radiation sickness in an adult.  450 REMs is the lethal dose for a human being.  In the case of a large 2-3 Megaton nuclear blast, those within a few miles of ground zero who survive but do not take shelter immediately will be exposed to up to 5000 REM per hour immediately after the explosion.  The extremely high initial release of radiation from a nuclear weapon shows the importance of evacuating immediately out of the potential fallout zone.  How will you know how much radiation you’ve been exposed to when you do find medical help?  The RADsticker personal dosimeter will record a dose rate of up to 500 RADs.  It could prove to be extremely useful to medical personnel to know how much dose you’ve received when treating you for various injuries from your exposure.

Don’t get caught in radiation fallout or near a radiation leak with no information and nowhere to go, get your Nukalert or RADsticker(s) today.

Click here to see all of our Nuclear/Radiation Survival Products & our Exclusive Radiation Survival Kits