Iodine tablets in Germany inappropriate

Iodine tablets in Germany inappropriate and dangerous

18/03/2011

Due to the failing nuclear power plants in Fukushima, Japan, many Germans and Europeans consider it important to take preventative measures with iodine medicines. Many people believe that minimizing the risk of thyroid cancer. Doctors strongly warn against taking the iodized drugs on their own initiative. Inappropriate intake of iodine tablets can cause harm to the body. It threatens, for example, a hyperthyroidism.

In a recent statement, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety warns against the prophylactic intake of iodine tablets. The medicines should only be taken if an official order has been made. A risk due to radioactive radiation is currently not threatened in Europe.

Job medications protect prophylactically from radioactive iodine 131
In Japan, high-dose potassium iodide is administered to people in the protection zone around the radioactive contaminated nuclear power plant of Fukushima. The remedy should cause the thyroid gland to be flooded with untried iodine. If the organism absorbs radioactive iodine, the excess iodine is eliminated from the body. Thus, a contamination of the body can be reduced. However, the intake of the preparations only works if no contaminated iodine has been absorbed by the respiratory air or food. In addition, the intake also protects only from the storage of radioactive iodine 131. The organism stores the iodine of the tablets and then ignores the radioactive iodine. Prior to direct exposure to radiation in the form of cesium-137, plutonium or other fission products such as krypton or strontium, job medications can not do anything. It only reduces the risk of an outbreak of thyroid cancer, as the particles of iodine 131 could attach directly to the thyroid gland. In addition, the dose is administered according to age, weight and individual nature and only works for a few days. A self-administration is therefore not only harmful to health, but at least in Germany also useless.

Self-administration involves health risks
The chairman of the Center for Social Policy at the University of Bremen and head of the drug evaluations of the „Stiftung Warentest“, Prof. Dr. Gerd Glaeske, warned: "Preventive, the drug acts only a few hours before to a few hours after exposure to radioactive iodine and it can also cause severe diseases of the thyroid gland." Have patients over the age of 45 or suffer from an iodine allergy and hyperthyroidism, taking the intake of a particularly high health risk, the expert said. Preventive use is currently important in the crisis area, especially for children up to the age of 18 years, as in children the iodine metabolism is highest.

Radioactive contamination in Germany currently excluded
Therefore, the Federal Ministry for the Environment urgently warns against giving up the iodine-free use of iodine. According to available scientific knowledge threatens in Germany no nuclear radiation hazard. On the one hand, the distance to Japan (around 8000 kilometers) is far too large and, on the other hand, imported food from Japan is increasingly being tested for radioactivity, according to the Federal Minister of Consumer Protection, Ilse Eigner (CSU). In addition, the import due to the environmental disaster in Japan is currently very limited or almost completely stopped. If it should nevertheless be necessary to distribute iodine funds to the German population, then one has appropriate medicines in stock, as a spokesman for the Federal Environment Ministry emphasized.

Jodtabletten from the pharmacy provide no protection
The commercially available job medications in pharmacies are far from sufficient to ensure effective protection. An adult would need to consume a total of 1300 100 microgram tablets to ensure protection against iodine-131. High-dose and specially designed iodine tablets are therefore only prescribed and distributed by the authorities. Consumers should therefore refrain from currently curing dubious offers on the Internet. The offers play with the fears of the people and provide no health protection. (Sb)

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Picture: Andrea Damm