Last week Westchester County officials gave out free potassium iodide tablets, known as "KI," to anyone who lives within 10 miles of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, about 35 miles north of New York City and about 50 miles south of me. This plant has been around for over 20 years so why the sudden caution ?, One would have to think that someone knows something and they are not telling. Guess what i just ordered. Are there any members who live by N plants who have seen a pill give away as well ?

I guess it's a contingency plan for a "worst case" scenario. If you see a low flying 757 in the area, swallow your pills and head for the hills.

Yes, but I have not heard of this being done anywhere else, which I find very disturbing. Here is the link to the story :

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0609-05.htm

Made link hot...

Scott

Ki (potassium idodide) will prevent your thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodines..theoretically from dirty nukes..nuke plant accidents..etc
[url]http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p924.htm[/url]
Given the news lately not a bad idea to have some on hand
FYI
[url]http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/4825fnl.htm[/url]

For the same reason as the bull$hit vehicle inspections at TIA (Tampa): feeling good and 'job opportunities'. What a crock!

Hell, I had a battery charger in the back of SUV and the a$$ didn't even inspect it. This was after he asked, "May I inspect your vehicle?". I replied, "Do I have a choice?"

Oh well.... [pissed]

I myself will be picking up KI from the county.  I've heard that KI distribution has already started in other states earlier this year.

Personally....

1) I pray that these pills will never need to be used

2) I'm leaving my pills in the office (Lower Manhattan) for any NYC incidents

3) I've already purchased three bottles (For my Family that lives near me).

Call me crazy or paranoid [IMG]http://forums.atvconnection.com/i/authorsicons/crazy.gif[/IMG] but the real crazies are OUT THERE!

[url]www.ki4u.com[/url]
They sell it, and have an informative faq.

Hi HellDog40 your right. I hear people saying their going to buy KI so that they are protected from a blast. I looked at them and said try hiding under a table also. Remember those drills in school.

My understanding is that it offers protection against radioactive iodine, but does nothing against the gamma radiation.  For that, you need to be underground.

Radioactive iodine can be carried by the wind of course, and IIRC it was the major health impact from Chernobyl.

Our very own Tate bought a metric assload of KI and has some for sale. He's right here in the metroplex, ilikelegs.

[url]www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=120334[/url]

Helldog,

  You are absolutely right... these pills are not a "magic potion".  If anything they're to allow my family and I to egress from a "hot" area.  I'm assuming that it won't be a KaBoom, but a cloud that'll put "ruin" to an area.  Another reason to have them in NYC (Dirty Bombs).  I also don't want to waiting in line for a weeks supply, when 200 pills could be purchased for ~$14.00.

   I actually live in the town of Cortlandt.  I'm so close to the plant that I actually see it when I run on the weekends.

   RogerB.  I'm guessing that you're somewhere around Cold Spring/Redhook?

Regards

Helldog40 - I appreciate you trying to keep people informed and you are right - KI and KIO3 ARE NOT an "anti-radiation cure-all".  BUT the above quote by none other than yourself is the point.  

"the ONLY thing KI WILL [s]MAYBE[/s] DO is load up your thyroid with iodine so that you won't absorb radioactive Iodine, IF , IF, IF....."

The "IF's" are why people are purchasing/asking for the stuff!

I don't care that it will only help IF I'm home and IF I'm awake and IF my aim is true and IF, IF, IF....  I keep a loaded G17 by my bed!!!

What is the "body burden" that has to be present for absorption to occur?  I'm not familiar with that term.

We know you are against having KI/KIO3 on hand...
[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=118609[/url]
... but why ridicule the folks who want to have it [b]just in case[/b]?

I've never understood the folks over in the Magazines Forum who shoot down people for buying niw mags for $25 per.  The buyers want niw mags, and the mags will bring $25 per - so who gives a damn if the buyer empties his bank account and buys every niw mag he can find?  In other words, the solution I humbly suggest for you is to not purchase any KI/KIO3 for yourself!  That'll show 'em!

Like nordikwolf stated - KI/KIO3 CAN help you egress to a non-phucked-up area - it's not a cure all, but it CAN help you.  There is no disputing that.



Jarhead_22 - thanks for giving ilikelegs the pointer. [:D]

ilikelegs - I am hurt that you ignore my sig line.  I am going to cry when I meet you at ETH's shoot and wipe tears and snot on your shirt. [:D]

Helldog, I'm a little more north than that, i'm in Dutchess County. And yes you are right about the pills , but for 10.00 and god forbid there is a need, it's just another ounce of prevention.  

Here's a newsarticle that articulates what KI can/cannot do....

[URL=http://1010wins.com/healthscitech/StoryFolder/story_482485241_html]KI Article[/URL]

Courtesy of:

[IMG]http://1010wins.com/nycMarket/LargeImages/777263485[/IMG]

Helldog:

Yes the Sportsman Center is still open, but I have no buddies to shoot with....

Do you know of any ATV trails?

``Just because you're in the same town with a dirty bomb doesn't mean you take potassium iodide,'' agrees Dr. David Orloff of the Food and Drug Administration. ``Wait 'til you hear instructions from public health officials.''


By that time it will be to late because those guys will be ot of town already.

Has far as I'm concerned I will get the KI if given out and be ready. Like stock pile of ammo. What I want to get is the kits we have at FDNY/EMS. TU-Pam and Atropine kits. Then get a couple of those Valium self injectors.

I understand there are some new kits for other Biological attacks coming out. I know they want to inoculate Emergency workers for chicken pox or is that small pox?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, PI only protects your Thyrode gland from radiation.

Is this true?

Is this all that needs to be protected?

Long Guns @ Sportsman Center?
Unfortunately the Summer (weekends) are jammed.
But pick a few dates, perhaps we can "drum-up" some interest like the Long-guylanders!


Totally Bad for me![moon]

An often overlooked source for increasing dietary Iodine is to either eat a lot of kelp, or use kelp supplements. You can find kelp supplements from a lot of herbal supplement suppliers....

Scott

OT: True KI will only protect the typroid from absorbing radioactive Iodine-131, what about other radioactive elements released? During the 1950s-1960s, I remember reading news reports that there detectable amounts of radioactive strontium-90, cesium-134 etc. Because these elements have properties somilar to calcium, scientist were concerned that they would be deposited in the developing bones of children.

Here's some more KI info from the web.

I live near a plant, no KI giveaway here. But I do have a sealed source in case of a release.

I don't think you can get enough iodine from natural sources.

I saw the give-away of KI pills on TV, I think they only give each person only four pills, would that be enough?

Yes it should be enough, the doseage is one a day or 1/2 a day for a child. Unless you have other reasons for sticking around a nuclear disaster for more than 4 days?

Depends upon the size of he dosage in each pill. The ones I am selling are two pills per adult dose.  Easier to break down the doses for kids, infants, pets, ect.


Helldog40 - thank you for your clarification and for the "body burden" explanation - I appreciate it.



agreed....

If I am not mistaken, I-131 has a rather short half life.  Means that after a few days the amount in the fallout is too small to be a big risk.  From the time the reactor is shutdown, the I-131 begins to decay.  (Or the nuke is detonated).  If you flood the thyroid with KI for those few days you are relatively safe from thyroid cancer.  Kids are most suseptable.  A number of excess thyroid cancers resulted downwind of the Nevada tests in the 50's as well as Chernobyl.  Don't know about TMI but as dishonest as the government is, I doubt the truth is easy to find.  A good many, I suspect, as we behaved exactly as the Russians did, denying the danger far too long.  Chernobyl killed tens of thousands, TMI far less, if any.  But then, Chernobyl releasd over 50 TONS of fuel and fission byproducts!!!!!!!!!

A "dirty bomb" more correctly known as a "radiological dispersion device" does not release I-131.  It releases only the radionuclide that it is filled with such as Urainium, Americium, Cesium, Cobalt, Plutonium or others.  The fallout will contain only those things that were in the bomb to start with.  A nuclear bomb or reactor, on the other hand, CREATES isotopes that were not present before the detonation or leak of spent fuel.  Many of the things released can be nasty.  Some disipate quickly; some take hundreds of centuries!  Some mimic common chemicals and get absorbed by your body, food plants and animals.  When you eat those formerly growing things you may ingest the radioactive material.

KI ONLY protects the thyroid, which absorbs all iodine very readily.  All the other radiation sources still affect you.  KI just reduces ONE source of cancer and hopefully your feet will protect you from many others!

The Alpha and Beta particles are rather easy to defend against; gamma is another ballgame entirely!  Gamma is the one to fear the most.  Takes a good bit of concrete, lead or dirt to stop it.  If the fall-out dust is in the air and not filtered out, you are screwed.  

Safe dose of radiation is not an exact science.  Varies between individuals and a whole host of factors.  The limits in USA allow far more dose than many other countries, making me wonder who is hiding what from whom.  Very low dose over long period is most poorly understood.

Make no mistake, things will get interesting if the idiots set off nukes in Pakistan.  Same for our power plants.  There ARE ways to cause them to release a lot of radiation and it is not that hard to do.  If one is attacked, DO NOT believe any of the governments lies; get upwind and distant as fast as you can!  Too late to get KI, just as it was too late to buy ammo 9/11.

I remember accounts of people doing pre-Y2K testing of survival supplies that potassium iodide not only tastes bad but has a tendency to make sensitive individuals (elderly, kids, etc.) nauseous. The potassium iodate on the other hand did not have this side effect.