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Potassium Iodide (KI) and the Public

What is Potassium Iodide (KI) for?

Potassium iodide protects the thyroid gland from radiation injury caused by radioactive iodine that is released in a nuclear power plant emergency. It is approved and recommended for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is available over-the-counter.

It is stockpiled in Duxbury schools and public shelters for all adults and minors who have parent/guardian permission on record. It will be brought to Duxbury’s reception center, Braintree High school, in the event of a call to evacuate. However, in addition, you should have your own supply at home.

How does Potassium Iodide (KI) work?

KI saturates the thyroid gland with stable (non-radioactive) iodine, to limit the amount of radioactive iodine that could be absorbed by the thyroid. During a radiological emergency, radioactive iodine could be released to the environment. Iodine concentrates in the thyroid gland. Breathing air or eating food contaminated with radioactive iodine can injure the thyroid and increase the risk of thyroid cancer and disease and mental retardation in the very young.

Potassium iodide is only effective against exposure to radioactive iodine and only protects the thyroid gland. KI does not protect against other types of radioactivity that might be released during a nuclear emergency. It is an important adjunct to evacuation and sheltering.

When should I take Potassium Iodide (KI)?

KI should be taken shortly before or shortly after exposure to radio-active iodine to be most effective. Therefore, it is important to have your own supply at home and in your glove box. However, even if taken three to four hours after exposure, it would still reduce the amount of radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid and have a substantial effect. The protective effects of KI last approximately 24 hours. Emergency broadcasts over Emergency Alert System radio stations will tell people if the Massachusetts Department of Public Health advises them to take KI.

How much Potassium Iodide (KI) should I take or give to my children?

The presently available KI pills are 130-milligram scored tablets. In December 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published guidance on KI recommending the following

  • Adults: 130 mg
  • Children (3 to 18 years): 65 mg
  • Young Children (1 month to 3 years): 32 mg
  • Infants (birth to month): 16 mg

These are the minimum effective doses; the MDPH supports the use of one 130 mg. tablet for children above 3 years of age during an emergency. This is in agreement with US FDA guidelines. If you have an allergy to salt or shellfish, you should discuss taking KI with your health care provider.

How can I get Potassium Iodide?

It is prudent to have potassium iodide prior to an emergency. Persons living within the 10-mile emergency planning zone or businesses in Duxbury may obtain potassium iodide free-of-charge from the Duxbury Board of Health. Additionally you can buy KI at CVS in Kingston [they keep it at the prescription counter] or obtain KI from the manufacturer directly.

Anbex
35246 US Highway 19N
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
(727) 784-3483

For members of the EPZ population instructed to evacuate and who have not obtained KI, distribution points will be set up at pre-identified KI Dispensing Sites outside the EPZ. Here is a list of those sites:

  • Milton Exit 11 off I-93 North at Heritage Hall Exit 2B off I-93/128 at the Trailside Museum.
  • Brockton Exit 17A off Rt. 24 North onto Belmont St. to Brockton High School.
  • Mansfield Exit 10 off Rt. 495 North at the Comcast Center.

You are strongly advised to have KI at home and an extra supply in your glove box. This is because KI is most effective if taken before or very soon after exposure and driving time to the above state-distribution points may take too long.

Unaccompanied minors at our shelters and Reception Center will not receive KI unless parental permission has been given ahead of time.

Parental permission can be given for Duxbury public school students on the Duxbury Public School’s over-the-counter medical release reform. They will forward a copy to the shelters and Reception Center. Parents/guardians of pre-school children and children attending private schools can fill out a parental permission form at the Emergency Management Office, Duxbury Fire Station, 668 Tremont Street. This consent will be enforced unless rescinded by parent/guardian.