A thousand times ‘next-to-nothing’ is still next to nothing.
Are you concerned if something doubles your chances of a bad consequence if your original odds were 1 million to 1?
Iodine 131 is used as medical treatment for thyriod disorders. Massive amounts are required to kill the thyroid gland. If you aren’t in any danger of anything direct from a meltdown, the tiny amount of I-131 you may absorb will be negligible in terms of health.
If you are in danger from the direct effects of these plants you should be getting the hell out of Dodge instead of looking for those pills.
A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 (2000 blasts and we’re not dead yet?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY
I understand your concern. But ....
There is a POTENTIAL for release of SOME radioactive gasses from the Japanese power plants. Right now, there has been NO release of radioactive gasses from those plants. No radioactive gasses (in Japan) means no gasses flowing out across the western Pacific, across the mid-pacific (HI) and then the eastern Pacific (CA, OR, Washington state). Then they’d have to flow across the rest of the states to where you are. All the while they are decaying and they are being diluted with tens of trillions of tons of inert material - other gasses and materials. Much ionized material - and radiation naturally ionizes the little bitty flecks of dirt (solids) these condensed gasses and radioactive material into the ocean. Where it goes away.
The radioactive “chains” of decay products are tricky: What starts as a gas can turn into a solid, which might decay into another gas, which decays into a gas, which decays into a solid, etc. Etc. sometimes....
In any case, the radioactive material is INSIDE the containment domes - that’s why they are there! - and the levels - while high inside the dome - are NOT a danger outside the dome.
The potassium iodide tablets are used to vastly “OVERLOAD” your (kids’) thyroids with massive overdoses of iodide internally so the (very few) external radioactive iodide flowing through the air from Japan in this case - are not absorbed in your kid’s thyroid.
So, do you want to overdose their thyroids for no reason? Just keep the pills. Out of their body until radiation levels exceed limits here.
I am also very concerned.
But I know the critical teams at the power plant are working through this dangerous situation.
Amidst the flotsam and jetsum that passes for news, was a report of the controlled release of “radioactive” vapor.
Just guessing, I would think the release was “inside the power plant”, and that the people working the problem have donned special protective gear to work in the environment.
I'm going to wait a few more hours before I get seriously concerned about personal safety, since I don't live in or near Japan.
In the meantime, I will pray for the people of Japan.
I ask that you (and everyone) do the same.If you don't pray, think of them with hope and support.
Query Dogpile or Google for detailed information regarding the use of Potassium Iodide tablets.
Are you near the reactor? Are you in Japan?