Anti-Radiation Pills

Anti-Radiation Pills
Source: Indian Express
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies

What is discussed under Anti-Radiation Pills?

As worries of a nuclear accident at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia power plant rise, the European Union has made the decision to provide 5.5 million anti-radiation tablets as a preventative measure to be given out to locals.
People who are receiving the tablets are being instructed to wait until a radioactive leak has been verified before taking them.

In situations of radiation exposure, potassium iodide (KI) tablets, also known as anti-radiation pills, are believed to offer some protection.
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
They include non-radioactive iodine and can aid in preventing the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine and concentrating it there.
Radioactive iodine
- Radioactive iodine may be discharged into the environment during radiation emergencies, which are often nuclear power plant accidents.
- It may then enter the body by inhalation or ingestion.
- This is called internal contamination.
- Many years after exposure, thyroid cancer risk can increase in newborns, kids, and young adults when the thyroid absorbs high doses of radioactive iodine.

How do anti-radiation pills protect the thyroid?

Both KI and radioactive iodine are forms of iodine.
The thyroid absorbs both of them in.
A person must consume KI before or soon after exposure to radioactive iodine for it to be effective.
The thyroid can be prevented from absorbing radioactive iodine when the appropriate dose and timing of KI are used.
This occurs because the thyroid cannot absorb radioactive iodine because it has already filled with KI.

Limits of anti-radiation pill use

Only radioactive iodine is protected against by KI; other forms of radiation are not protected.
KI only safeguards the thyroid; other body parts are not covered by KI.
To be most effective, KI must be taken within 24 hours before or four hours after exposure.
KI is not a remedy and cannot repair thyroid damage that has already occurred.
A person may not be completely protected against radioactive iodine by KI.
They are recommended for people under 40 years of age.

These are accidental incidents that pose a radiological risk to both people and the environment.
Such circumstances entail exposure to radiation from a radioactive source and the need for quick action to lessen the danger.
Anti-radiation pills are also needed to handle such a situation.

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