50,000 Potassium Iodide Pills Donated to Japan
Approximately 50,000 potassium iodide tablets have been donated by Nukepills.com to Tokushukai Hospital in Tokyo for immediate distribution to those affected by Japan's nuclear reactor crisis. This effort was facilitated by Dr. Alisa Suzuki Han, Radiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching facility of Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Mass. The radiation-blocking drug, currently en route to Japan, will be distributed by the Tokushukai Medical Aid Team. "We are very pleased that these tablets will be given to people directly affected by the nuclear crisis," said Troy Jones, president of Nukepills.com. "The efforts of Dr. Han and the Tokushukai Medical Aid Team are a wonderful example of professionals coming together to ensure the health and livelihood of those most in need."
Stockpiling of potassium iodide is recommended by health officials worldwide to prevent thyroid cancer of those exposed to radioactive iodine in the event of a nuclear reactor accident or detonation of a nuclear bomb. FDA approved in 1982, potassium iodide is available without a prescription.