[Luke Skyfreeper]

Consider just getting a bottle of betadine scrub from your pharmacy (Hershey Medical Center had a study on this alternate way of getting the iodide) ...if you ever need it you can coat one arm from shoulder to hand and your body will absorb the right amount for your size. Betadine scrub is a rusty colored surgical scrub...if you ever had surgery and had some dark orange red stain around the suture site you've had it on you.

Can't you also paint a certain amount of tincture of iodine as well?

[Domestic Church]

I think the study used betadine scrub solely...there must be a specific dermal absorbtion rate that makes it better than the old fashioned tincture...and it's something readily available in hospitals so if an area of the country is exposed and they don't have the pills because they aren't near a nuclear power plant the population can still be given a dosage. You only have to coat your arm once but it should be done within 3 hours or so. The odds are you will never need the iodide pills unless you live near a power plant that has a melt down...but you can always use the surgical scrub to clean a simple cut.