Leaking of nuclear radiation in Japan make the citizens of neighboring countries such as Korea and the U.S. (Hawaii) buy up iodine pill that can reliably prevent radiation exposure. Is it true that this pill can inhibit iodine radiation?

Iodine pills usually contain potassium iodide which is a stable iodine salt (non-radioactive). A stable form of iodine salt is needed by the body to make thyroid hormone.

If there is a nuclear radiation leak, the radioactive iodine is released into the air and into the lungs or contaminate the local food supply. When these materials enter the body through respiration, food or drink, then the condition is called internal contamination.

When internal contamination occurs, the thyroid gland will quickly absorb these chemicals. But if someone is eating KI non-radioactive, it will act KI inhibits the absorption of radioactive iodine and protects the thyroid gland from damage.

Generally, the thyroid gland can not distinguish between stable and radioactive iodine. When someone is taking KI, the stable iodine will be absorbed by the thyroid gland.

Because this gland already contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland will make ‘full’ so that can no longer absorb the radioactive iodine for the next 24 hours, as quoted from Healthline, Thursday (03/17/2011).

Even so KI is only to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine and can not protect other body parts, and can not restore the thyroid gland which had been damaged.

In addition, this KI can not protect the body from other radioactive elements. So if radioactive iodine is missing, the KI becomes ineffective to protect.

It is important to note that KI can not provide 100 percent protection against radioactive iodine.

How well does KI protects the thyroid gland is influenced by several factors:

1. How much span of time between contamination with radioactive iodine take KI (the faster a person consuming the better of KI).
2. How quickly KI absorbed into the blood
3. How many are exposed to radioactive iodine

Generally, the thyroid gland of the fetus and infant are most at risk of injury from radioactive iodine. Meanwhile, children and people with low iodine reserves in the body are also at risk of thyroid injury.