[OCCASparky]

Nothing. You don’t need them. Put them back.

[diverteach]

Buy a gieger counter.

[dila813]

First rule of journalism, if it bleeds it leads.

Keep this in mind when reading stories.

[goseminoles]

“What are we to do?”

Have a cold beer?

[Bean Counter]

If things ever progress to the point that you need to take potassium iodide tablets, we have bigger problems afoot than those tablets will ever cure.

Put them away.

[TsonicTsunami08]

Get upwind and put as much distance between your family and the source of the radiation!

God Speed

[Brad from Tennessee]

Link to map of prevailing winds across the world. I'm sure there are more sophisticated maps close to real-time via Google:

http://maps.howstuffworks.com/world-prevailing-winds-map.htm

[Slip18]

Go to Google or Bing and find out the facts for the use of this mineral for use in radiation poison.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

First of all, potassium iodide is a salt. Unless you deliberately contaminate or expose it, it will last forever.

Second of all, if circumstances occur that require you to take it, there will be lots worse things to worry about than a little radiation poisoning.

[fso301]

The Russian mistake at Chernoble was failing to issue warnings against eating leafy green vegetables or drinking milk.

Those two things would have prevented most of the deaths

[driftdiver]

“When Potassium Iodide is taken as directed, it literally “floods” the thyroid with a stabilized iodine, basically saturating the thyroid gland so that the radioactive Iodine 131 particles cannot find a home and is expelled out the normal body waste channels. Potassium Iodide tablets can prevent up to 99% of the damage caused by radioactive nuclear fallout (dust). “

Or so the people who sell it say. Sounds like you dont need to take any unless there’s a major event. This doesn’t include the release of a small amount of gas.

[svcw]

It is salt. Salt like sugar pretty much lasts forever. These use by dates in many cases are bogus.

[mnehring]

Are you even remotely close to the area in question? If not, relax, undue stress isn’t good for one’s health. If you are close, consult authorities or doctors, not people on the internet.

[Frantzie]

Are you in Japan?

[Cicero]

I presume that this would produce less radiation all the way around the world in the U.S. than the atomic bomb trials in the Pacific did.

In other words, trivial.

If there’s anything to worry about, Al Gore will tell us.

[The KG9 Kid]

I live in the US state where the Federal government detonated 1,105 H-bombs over 40 years time in nuclear tests -- not leaks of reactor coolant steam with slightly elevated levels of radiation mind you, but actual *H-bomb detonations* -- and as of yet no spiky glowing green tentacles have yet grown out of my chest.

Also, sadly, I have not grown three extra brains which could substantially boost my income earning levels, particularly at blackjack card-counting and craps table odds percentage calculations.

I'll let you know if any of this happens. In the meantime, you can put your potassium iodide pills back inside the medicine cabinet.

[KoRn]

We dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. Did anyone in the US need any pills back then?

We’ve detonated God only knows how many FAR larger bombs between here and there since. I wouldn’t worry about it....

[listenhillary]

Wrap your body in 4” of aluminum foil. You’ll be fine.

[ponygirl]

This is the company I bought my Iosat tablets from. They have a lot of information on their site: http://www.anbex.com/index.php

[mnehring]

By the way, before you go shoving pills down your kid’s throats, have you had them tested for iodine allergies?