Surgeon General States Buying Iodide a Worthy "Precaution"

US Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, told NBC that buying iodide is a worthy "precaution." She does not consider it an overreaction, and said you are right to be prepared. Meanwhile, workers at the nuclear power plants in Japan have abandoned the reactors, as reported in breaking news on the Associated Press.

We have no idea at this point how much radiation has been released, and how much more may come. We also do not know if we should take the iodide that we procure. If we need to take it, we're not sure what dose. Fortunately, we now have a hotline in California with the Dept. of Public Health. Keep it handy:  (916) 341-3947. I spoke to a live person when I called today (they say: we are not recommending iodide), and they told me their scripts are getting updated daily. I'd prefer hourly, but we're still in a budget crisis; I'll take whatever help we can get.

As expected, shelves are emptying of potassium iodide, one of the preventive therapies that I wrote about over five days ago.

The CDC recommendations for massive exposure to radioactive fallout, cited in that post, may or may not be relevant to our situation. Another evidence-based resource is this download from the FDA.

I'm finding that recommendations for lesser exposures to be very limited and, not surprisingly, lack quality evidence.

Are you currently getting any iodine from your diet or from supplements? Most folks in the US are iodine-deficient, and my quick discussion with other experts suggest that the more iodine deficient, the more likely one may be to uptake radioactive iodine from nuclear fallout.

I take a multivitamin that contains 400 MCG of iodine (1000 MCG or microgram = 1 MG or milligram). The Japanese, from their traditional diet, consume on a daily basis approximately 13 mg per day. Fortunately this protects them significantly from radioactive iodine damage. We in the US, consume about 100-fold less iodine from our diet. The RDA in the US is 125 MCG/day.

Today I read research from Dr. Brownstein's site (referenced previously) about Dr. Guy Abraham. Here's a direct quote, which I have not been able yet to substantiate (most of the data don't appear to be published in peer-reviewed journals, but if you wait for me to substantiate it fully, it may be irrelevant):

His research indicated that milligram doses (note: this is 1,000 times a microgram dose) are necessary to prevent radioactive iodine from damaging the thyroid gland. How much? Around 13mg/day prevents approximately 96% of radioactive iodine from binding to the thyroid gland. That is the approximate dosage of iodine ingested daily by the Japanese.

Keep in mind that in some people, with allergies to iodine or other thyroid conditions, iodine may cause more harm than good. Many conventionally-trained physicians are taught that more than 2 mg of iodine is dangerous.

As I write this on 3/15/11 at 8:15pm PST, I would love some clear answers and to provide clear recommendations. I am getting many, many questions which I cannot possibly answer individually. I highly recommend that you speak to your primary care provider about this issue, and if you have kids, your pediatrician. Pregnant women must be very careful with iodine because the fetus can absorb it and it can affect the fetal thyroid. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE YOU TAKE IODINE. Keep current with the Center for Disease Control, as well as your local public health. I'm trying to share information that I find difficult to find, for the purpose of education and being proactive. I'm glad the Surgeon General agrees that prevention is never premature.

US Aircraft Carrier Detects Radiation Offshore Japan

Japanese officials insist there is no public health risk from the failing nuclear reactors in Fukushima. My read of the news: I have no idea if that is true, and suspect the opposite.

The BBC is reporting this morning that one of the US aircraft carriers detected radioactive fallout 100 miles offshore from the reactors. I do not know the amount they measured.

Why, if there is no public health risk, would the Japanese extend the evacuation zone yesterday from 10 km to 20 km? My inner skeptic is getting activated.

Drudge is reporting that 17 US Navy are suffering from radiation exposure.

Here is a report of possible days before the radiation comes to the West Coast (11 days to Los Angeles,7 to Anchorage). Totally depends on the winds and could be variable.

Consider preventive measures, such as taking iodine, with your physician. Orally-taken, non-radioactive iodine, available from Amazon and often your local health food store, may prevent binding of radioactive iodine in your thyroid. It's not for everyone, but get the details and discuss with your doctor. More info on that right here.

Nuclear Japan: Latest News

BBC this morning: "A partial meltdown did occur in reactor 1." 

According to BBC reporter Richard Black: "On Sunday, officials said the same thing was suspected in reactor 3 - although later, they appeared to retract this statement."

This morning I heard many conflicting reports about the worst of the nuclear situation in Japan being over vs the possibility of future meltdowns in the day to come. The wildly conflicting data means that the possible risks are wildly variable.

One eyewitness confirmed my concerns to the BBC: "The official line is that there is no danger of radiation exposure, but we have been hearing conflicting things from unofficial sources and we didn't want to take the risk." True this is lesser quality evidence, but I'm suspicious. Are you?

New York Times: "the developments - perhaps the worst involving a nuclear plant since Chernobyl 25 years ago." Japan is preparing to distribute iodine to the population near the nuclear power plant. For more info on iodine and preventive dosing, click here.

Please share what you're learning and your sources.

This crisis reminds me of surgery: make difficult choices rapidly with limited information.