The war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s threats and the Russian army’s operations in Chernobyl and Zaporozhye have rekindled fear of nuclear power in Europe. Sales and demand for potassium iodide tablets have soared on the continent. But this treatment, useful for protecting the thyroid from radioactivity, is only available in France according to a strict protocol.
The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 plunged the world back into its 20th century anxieties.and century: the opposition between NATO and Russia, the specter of a new world war and the fear of nuclear power. Russia is one of the few powers that have the atomic bomb. And Vladimir Putin does not hesitate to brandish the nuclear threat in what is also a communications war.
When he announced the start of the offensive in Ukraine, the Russian president issued an ominous message to all those who “would try to interfere” with his troops: “Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead to consequences for you which you have never faced in your history.”
The master of the Kremlin raised his voice on February 27 by asking his army to “put the deterrent forces on special alert”, a clear allusion to Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Two days earlier, his forces had already taken control of the Chernobyl power plant. And on March 4, the Russian army seized that of Zaporozhye in circumstances that are still unclear, Moscow denying being behind a strike and a fire whose consequences could have been terrible.
Direct consequence of these acts and this anxiety-provoking atmosphere: Europeans fear a major nuclear incident. And they react accordingly.
Iodine rush, just in case
Almost everywhere on the continent, and in particular in countries geographically close to Ukraine and Russia, the same alerts are rising: civilians want to obtain potassium iodide pills.
“In the last six days, Bulgarian pharmacies have sold as many as in a whole year. Some have run out of stock. We have ordered more but I’m afraid stocks won’t last very long,” he told Reuters. Nikolay Kostov, president of the Association of Pharmacists. In the Czech Republic, Romania and Poland, the echoes are similar. In Croatia, pharmacies faced a real iodine rush.
Norwegian health authorities have called on citizens to exercise restraint. But they nevertheless asked the municipalities to ensure that they were able to meet the demand if necessary. “The risk of accidents and incidents is higher than normal due to the war,” recalled Espen Rostrup Nakstad from the Norwegian Directorate of Health and Social Affairs.
Even in western Europe, iodine tablets are snapping up. Switzerland, which came out of its reserve and adopted sanctions against Russia, is no exception to the phenomenon. Belgium either: pharmacies are overwhelmed with requests in this country wary of Russia, insofar as it hosts the headquarters of theEuropean Union and of theNATO. Not knowing how the war in Ukraine will evolve, many Belgians are getting pellets, just in case.
Stable iodine to preserve the thyroid
In France, pharmacists also report, here and there, customers asking for potassium iodide tablets. Demand is not as strong as in Central Europe, but it is growing. However, it is a waste of time. Because as in Luxembourg, stable iodine is not freely available in France.
Its distribution is highly regulated by theNuclear Safety Authority (ASN). This administration focuses primarily on civilians who live within a radius of 20 kilometers around one of the 19 French power stations. This represented 2.2 million people in 2019. Tablets are distributed “preventively around installations presenting a risk of radioactive iodine emissions”, explains the ASN.
Pharmacies in these areas also have stocks, to be sold only on direct order from the authorities. The Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France therefore recalls that it is useless to “overload pharmacies” in the hope of obtaining this treatment.
Stable iodine tablets are useful for protecting the thyroid from exposure to radioactive iodine released from a power plant during an accident, for example (as was the case at Chernobyl). The thyroid readily absorbs iodine. However, radioactive iodine causes cancer. Taking potassium iodide has the effect of saturating the thyroid; this gland can therefore no longer absorb radioactive iodine and is better protected from the risk of cancer.
No protection against nuclear weapons
But the use of iodine tablets is only “exceptional”, indicates the Vidal medical dictionary in its notice to the general public. The Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has an entire page on its website devoted to myths about taking stable iodine. This page was updated in March 2022, a sign that the subject is topical.
Taking stable iodine preventively is contraindicated. These tablets must be taken “at the earliest one hour before exposure to radioactivity, and at the latest within six to twelve hours which follow”, says the IRSN.
The ASN speaks of “optimal efficacy if the intake is carried out within two hours before the start of radioactive iodine releases”. “It is 50% if the catch is made six hours after the start of rejection,” she adds. In any case, civilians should only take stable iodine on direct instructions from the authorities. Several health authorities in Europe have warned of potential serious side effects.
The IRSN also debunks another received idea: no, stable iodine does not protect against any exposure to radioactivity. Potassium iodide preserves iodine-131, but it is ineffective against “other radioactive elements (such as cesium-134 or cesium-137) potentially released”.
Dana Drabova, director of the Czech Office for Nuclear Safety, replied with seriousness to Internet users who asked her about the usefulness of iodine tablets: “In terms of protection against radiation, when nuclear weapons are used ( God forbid), they are useless.”
Only two “major” nuclear accidents – level 7, the highest on the International Nuclear Event Scale – have occurred in history. The first occurred at the Chernobyl power plant (ex-USSR, present-day Ukraine) on April 26, 1986. A series of errors led to the explosion of a reactor. The second took place on March 11, 2011 at the Fukushima Power Plant, in Japan. An earthquake and a tsunami severely damaged it, causing its instability.
Nuclear weapons have only been used twice, by the army of the united states against the empire of japan, during the Second World War. On August 6, 1945, the first A-bomb named “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima. On August 9, a second A-bomb, named “Fat Man”, devastates Nagasaki. The two bombs caused approximately 214,000 deaths.