Radiation Exposure Resulting from the Earthquake in Japan

Following the earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, I received dozens of calls regarding the threat of radiation exposure and availability of of potassium iodide.  I thought it best to address this issue. 

Earlier this week I received a news release from Kitsap County Health District that puts this issue in perspective.  Scott W. Lindquist, MD, MPH, wrote:

"We have all been touched by the suffering in Japan,, especially as we know our own community is vulnerable to earthquakes.  We can imagine losing family members and friends, and we can picture being isolated for days, without power, food or water.  Being affected by radiation fallout is a frightening idea as well."

"We want to reassure you that experts are confident there is currently no risk of harmful radiation exposure.  Unless there are entirely new developments in Japan, experts do not expect there to be any future risk.  They have confirmed that the situation in Japan is very different from the one in Chernobyl in 1986.  The radiation that was released in Japan wasw not at a high enough altitude to travel in the jet stream to the U.S.  The amount has been small enough that even if it were carried in the jet stream, air currents would break it up so that it would not pose a health risk if it reached the U.S."

"You may be hearing about taking potassium iodide or Prussian blue to protect you from possible radiation sickness.  The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and CDC do not recommend this.

• Potassium iodide is available as an over-the-counter drug.  It has the potential for significant side effects, and can be harmful for people with certain medical conditions.  Its benefits do not outweigh its risks unless you have acute exposure to significant amounts of radiation in a situation where evacuation is not possible.
• Prussian blue is available by prescription only.  You SHOULD NOT consume  Prussian blue artist's dye or paint pigments.  This type of Prussian blue is not designed to treat radioactive contamination."
  

"If a radiation risk were to occur, the Health District would have access to both substances from the Strategic National Stockpile and would use our emergency procedures to make it available to our community."

"The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) serves as the state's expert agency in matters of radiation affecting public health.  DOH is partnering with Federal agencies, the International Atomic Commission, other western state DOH's and Canadian agencies to monitor the situation in Japan.  They are collecting air, crop and other samples 24/7 throughout the west coast to ensure an early warning should the situation change."

"As part of our job to protect your health in the event of any natural disaster or man-made emergency, we have plans in place to handle any type of emergency.  We partner with other local and state agencies so that together, we can prevent harm where possible, and when harm is unavoidable, to contain it and limit its damage to you and your family.  As part of this work, we are part of a 24/7 public health communication system that will inform us promptly if there are any increased risks from the event in Japan.  We will then activate out own emergency communication processes to promptly inform the public in Kitsap County."

Right now, the most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to click on the following link and make sure you and your loved ones are prepared with a personal disaster plan.  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/links/disaster/prepare.pdf. This handy check list was published by the Seattle Times and will guide you through all the things you need to do to be as safe and healthy as possible after a disaster, until help arrives.  Share it with your neighbors - and collaborate on how you could support one another.  A safe community is a resilient community."

"For additional information, we recommend that you visit the DOH website at the link below.  They are our most valuable and credible information source on this situation, and they update their website information around the clock.  They have a helpful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link that can answer many of your questions."

Washington State Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/Topics/japan2011.htm

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