[NautiNurse]

He seemed to think the long term cancer risk was greater then the short term allergic reaction

I have witnessed a short term allergic reaction to iodine. It was immediate anaphylaxis and death in the hospital setting. I wouldn't recommend taking iodine with a known allergy to it.

[katana]

How common is allergic response to iodine and is it something which one would normally be advised about by a doctor, particularly if your children were susceptible ? When I was a kid a dilute of iodine was a normal thing to apply to a wound.