Source: YCN
Fears over radiation levels spiking along the West Coast of the United States are rising as Japan struggles to control the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant after Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck. Potassium iodide pills are flying off the shelves of stores along the West Coast as well as residents rush to prepare for high radiation levels in the area.
By many public officials have been fighting to set the record straight and ease the fears Americans may have. The EPA released an official statement on the matter and said that the U.S. shouldn't expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the country from the damaged nuclear power plants. The EPA also stated that they were still collecting extensive data regarding radiation levels in the air at many different locations in the western U.S. and other U.S. territories and that the data is available to the public.
Mike Silcilia, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health, confirmed the EPA's statement as well and said it would be impossible for the radiation to travel 5,000 across the Pacific Ocean while maintaining the same concentration.
Additionally, public officials are warning worried residents who have purchased and are taking potassium iodide pills that it is unnecessary and could be potentially harmful. Many Japanese residents have been given potassium iodide tablets to protect them from radiation-related problems. Iodine can be radioactive, but nonradioactive iodine protects the thyroid from absorbing radioactive materials. The thyroid cannot tell the difference between nonradioactive and radioactive iodine, so the tablets allow the thyroid to absorb the maximum amount of iodine and then reject any more of it.
Iodide pills are fetching extremely high prices online, even as high as $25 for 240 tablets. But people taking potassium iodide tablets in the U.S. because of radiation fears could be doing more harm than good, especially since high levels have yet to be recorded in the U.S. Side effects can include nausea, inflammation of the salivary glands, and rashes. Iodine can be found naturally in some foods, but potassium iodide tablets put much higher levels of iodine in the body and can even cause iodine poisoning.
Even though high levels of radioactivity reaching the U.S. from the Japan nuclear power plant in Fukushima are unlikely, government officials are assuring Americans that there would be plenty of warning and that there would be many opportunities for obtaining potassium iodide tablets.
Residents concerned about the radiation levels should still check sites containing data about radiation levels recorded near them, which is updated often.
Rachel Krech provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
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Fears over radiation levels spiking along the West Coast of the United States are rising as Japan struggles to control the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant after Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck. Potassium iodide pills are flying off the shelves of stores along the West Coast as well as residents rush to prepare for high radiation levels in the area.
By many public officials have been fighting to set the record straight and ease the fears Americans may have. The EPA released an official statement on the matter and said that the U.S. shouldn't expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the country from the damaged nuclear power plants. The EPA also stated that they were still collecting extensive data regarding radiation levels in the air at many different locations in the western U.S. and other U.S. territories and that the data is available to the public.
Mike Silcilia, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health, confirmed the EPA's statement as well and said it would be impossible for the radiation to travel 5,000 across the Pacific Ocean while maintaining the same concentration.
Additionally, public officials are warning worried residents who have purchased and are taking potassium iodide pills that it is unnecessary and could be potentially harmful. Many Japanese residents have been given potassium iodide tablets to protect them from radiation-related problems. Iodine can be radioactive, but nonradioactive iodine protects the thyroid from absorbing radioactive materials. The thyroid cannot tell the difference between nonradioactive and radioactive iodine, so the tablets allow the thyroid to absorb the maximum amount of iodine and then reject any more of it.
Iodide pills are fetching extremely high prices online, even as high as $25 for 240 tablets. But people taking potassium iodide tablets in the U.S. because of radiation fears could be doing more harm than good, especially since high levels have yet to be recorded in the U.S. Side effects can include nausea, inflammation of the salivary glands, and rashes. Iodine can be found naturally in some foods, but potassium iodide tablets put much higher levels of iodine in the body and can even cause iodine poisoning.
Even though high levels of radioactivity reaching the U.S. from the Japan nuclear power plant in Fukushima are unlikely, government officials are assuring Americans that there would be plenty of warning and that there would be many opportunities for obtaining potassium iodide tablets.
Residents concerned about the radiation levels should still check sites containing data about radiation levels recorded near them, which is updated often.
Rachel Krech provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
