U.S. Postal Service - Equipping Workers with Potassium Iodide

Associated Press ^ | 12/02/02 | SIOBHAN McDONOUGH

[all4one]

U.S. Postal Service equipping workers with potassium iodide pills in event of radiological emergency.

WASHINGTON - The latest equipment for American postal workers: potassium iodide pills to protect against thyroid cancer in the event of a radiological emergency.

The U.S. Postal Service said Monday that it was purchasing nearly 1.6 million pills for distribution to workers.

"It's a proactive approach regarding the safety, health and well-being of employees nationwide," said Sue Brennan, Postal Service spokeswoman. She would not say how much they paid for the pills.

Potassium iodide is the only medication for internal radiation exposure. It has just one use — to prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid from radioactive iodine.

Potassium iodide would be helpful only if a dirty bomb used radioactive iodine instead of other radioactive substances, and then only for people close to the explosion.

The tablets are being offered to all 750,000 postal workers nationwide. Two tablets will be given to any employee who wants to have the pills in case of an emergency.

"Employees are out there in all of these communities nationwide and we wanted to err on the side of caution," Brennan said.

In January, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it would provide free stockpiles of potassium iodide to 33 states that had residents living within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of one of the nation's 102 nuclear reactors.

As with any medication, overdoses of potassium iodide can be dangerous. Some people may experience allergic reactions, including nausea or rashes.

Phone calls to the American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers were not immediately returned.

[all4one]

O.K. lets say there is a Ratiological Emergency....to whom will these protected Postal Service Employees be delivering mail?

[cmsgop]

Rain,Sleet,Snow,.....and any Thermo-Nuclear Thingy......

[George from New England]

Just like the USPS. Find ways to spend the money.

Watch for a 40 cent stamp next year.

[FourPeas]

Don'cha know, the USPS are Essential Personnel for the functioning of our country. What we all do if we didn't receive our Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes Envelope on time??

[Bogey78O]

People with Thyroid Cancer that's who!

[CindyDawg]

What's going on here? First the announcement we are going to start small pox vac and now this on the same day.

[Semper911]

Agreed. There is no excuse for not having them at home, in your car, and at work. They are cheap and safe, and will save you and your family from a long painful death in the event of exposure via a dirty bomb (which could be unleashed absolutely anywhere.)

[GirlShortstop]

O.K. lets say there is a Radiological Emergency...to whom will these Postal Workers be delivering the mail?

Good question;  "neither rain, nor sleet, nor hail..." is long gone!

I have wondered since last year, what happened to Civil Defense?  If a terrorist disaster happens, are we prepared?  besides having a tinfoil hat handy.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Do they sell it at Walmart?

[GirlShortstop]

Do they sell it at Walmart?      Only if they're Made in China   

[kayak]

They're supposedly available at drug stores though we got ours for free because we're within 10 miles of a nuke plant.

[SunnyUsa]

"I got the nuke pills for my family. So should everyone here. "

I did too...back when it looked like India and Pakistan were going to nuke ea other-and living here on the East Coast I figured I better invest in some too...

Thanks to FR I saw a link that led me to a supplier...I bought enough for my family & extended family/friends.

During the 4th of JULY I brought them to DC (I knew I was being paranoid, but just in case I wanted to be able to protect my family - thankfully didn't need it)

People laughed at me for getting them (cause I told them about it if they wanted to buy them too) Now it seems to becoming the norm to be prepared like this.

[Abar]

Two tablets will be given to any employee who wants to have the pills in case of an emergency.

Translation: Another Islamic Terror Attack.

I hope we all don't go deaf listening to the 'outcry' of 'moderate muslims' again.

[Semper911]

I ordered them here:

http://www.ki4u.com/products.htm

Do it tomorrow. What do you have to lose by being prepared?

(Whoa, that sounded like Y2k all over again. But get them anyway.)

[Ditter]

You could still die from exposure to radiation just not from thyroid cancer? Is that what you are saying?

[snippy_about_it]

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=Potassium+iodide

[Hazzardgate]

[Semper911]

You could still die from exposure to radiation just not from thyroid cancer? Is that what you are saying?

How did you get that from what I said?

You could get burned or blown up if you are close, but radiation poisoning causes thyroid cancer. That is what the Chernobyl victims eventually died from.

Click the link I provided above, and browse that site for information about radiation. I am in no way an expert. I would just hate to be caught in an exposure situation knowing that I could have spent $20 bucks to save my life or that of my family.

These pills will be impossible to get as soon as one dirty bomb goes off anywhere in the world.

[Ditter]

Sorry I misunderstood you I know very little about radiation but I do know about thyroid cancer. It is very slow growing & very curable if caught before it spreads to another part of the body. Once it spreads if left unchecked it is almost impossible to cure. Oh course it would be better to take the pills & avoid it.