Many people buy the wrong tablets – VG

Less than 30 minutes ago

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The Norwegian Directorate of Health now receives many inquiries from people who are concerned about developments in Ukraine and want to have iodine tablets at home.

– Unfortunately, we see that many now buy the wrong tablets or too many tablets, says assistant director of the Norwegian Directorate of Health Espen Rostrup Nakstad to VG.

In addition, people buy iodine tablets even if they are in an age group that does not need them.

On the first day of the war conquered Russian forces Chernobyl, the scene of the worst nuclear accident in history, in northern Ukraine.

The very next day, several Norwegian pharmacies announced that they were sold out of iodine tablets, which Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB) and the Norwegian Directorate of Health since 2019 has recommended us to have at home as nuclear preparedness.

– On Friday, we sold as much in one day as we do in a whole year, said press manager Silje Ensrud in Apotek 1 to E24.

Also in Denmark and Sweden, the population hoards iodine, according to Danish TV2 and Sydsvenskan.

«NB! Not for nuclear preparedness! ”

The shelves with B vitamins, iron and calcium have a box marked «Iodine». It is a dietary supplement that contains only small amounts of the nutrient.

Several pharmacies have now written «NB! Not for nuclear preparedness! ” and the like about the dietary supplement in their online stores.

– There is no reason to buy supplements for this purpose. It will not have the desired effect, says Nakstad.

Jodix, on the other hand, is a tablet for emergency preparedness in the event of a nuclear incident and contains up to 900 times more iodine.

In addition, “Potassium Iodide Recip” is distributed to Norwegian municipalities for use by school students, among others.

A normal family needs no more than a pack of Jodix. If you have passed 40, you do not need to take iodine tablets. Basically, you should only take one tablet at a nuclear event.

Children and young people under the age of 18, pregnant and breastfeeding, are the ones who should take iodine tablets if this happens.

Only in very special situations is it relevant to take tablets for adults between 18 and 40 years.

Understand people’s reaction – and iodine purchases

Nakstad says that it is unlikely that you will ever need these tablets, even if you are advised to have them on standby.

Iodine tablets are when appropriate for younger age groups they should bare shall be taken if a nuclear accident has occurred – and the authorities ask you to take the tablet.

Sunday ordered Russian President Vladimir Putin said that nuclear weapons should be put on “combat readiness”.

Experts believe it is unlikely that Putin will actually use nuclear weapons.

Background: We know this about Russia’s nuclear weapons

In addition, Ukraine has 15 active nuclear reactors, and several of them are located near hostilities.

– Do you understand the population’s reaction – and iodine purchases – as the situation is now, Nakstad?

– It is very understandable that people now want to have such tablets on standby, even though the advice to acquire them has been the same for several years, he answers.

– Where do the misunderstandings come from?

– Iodine tablets as a contingency measure are new to most people, so it is no wonder that there are a number of misunderstandings and uncertainties, says Nakstad.

Can be spread with the wind over large distances

So hoarding is not necessary, but why take iodine tablets?

The reason why the Norwegian Directorate of Health together with the DSA recommended this a few years ago is that there are many old nuclear power plants in Europe and that there have been accidents in Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986 and in Fukushima, Japan in 2011 which have resulted in emissions of radioactive iodine.

– Although it is unlikely, there is a certain danger that Norway may be affected by radioactive fallout as it happened after the Chernobyl accident, Nakstad says.

In a similar accident today involving a nuclear power plant, a reactor-powered vessel or nuclear weapons, radioactive iodine can be dispersed by the wind over long distances and taken up into the thyroid gland in children and adolescents who breathe in polluted air or consume contaminated food or drink.

Natural iodine supplementation will then block the uptake of radioactive iodine and reduce the risk of developing thyroid cancer, Nakstad explains.

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