[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......

[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.

[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.

[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.

[snippy_about_it]

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

[Hazzardgate]

[tbird1]

The Postal Service has other important duties, in case of a Nuclear Strike. Who else in this country, but Postal Carriers know where everyone lives. Since the first possibility of Nuke attack years ago, the PO has been tasked to make a census of the location of the people surviving an attack. (Been there and participated in the plans)
tbird1

[300winmag]

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.

That's a one day supply, good only for getting the hell out of the area, or tiding you over until the government gives you some more. An adult needs two tablets a day, and should take it for 10 days after the "all clear", just to be safe. That could be a lot of pills.

The stuff is dirt cheap, and every family should have a supply on hand, just so they don't have to report to the relocation camp to get their pills.

[tracer]

This is not a bad idea, given that USPS workers are potentially at risk for exposure to any number of harmful agents introduced into the postal system.

That said, it should be understood that potassium iodide (or iodate) will only prevent the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid and will do nothing else.

The employees also should be counseled against regularly taking the tablets as prophylaxis against exposure to radioisotopic iodine, given that immediate post-exposure ingestion of the tablets will suffice. However, postal and other vulnerable facilities should be equipped with devices which will quickly detect gamma and beta emissions.

Radioiodine emits gamma energy for the most part. As for other radiation hazards, one can only hope that adequate decon can be implemented soon after an exposure incident.

Perhaps it owuld be useful for all such emloyees to wear the film badges worn by scientists, technicians, and certain medical service providers.

I wore such a film badge, which was "read" every month for over twenty years and have on file a record of my lifetime radiation exposure. Such may be appropriate for all personnel at risk........

[vannrox]

.


The fear is the use of the US Mail to transport loose radioactive material. Must of been some indication of the possibility of this....not good news.


.

[Terriergal]

Yeah ya gotta wonder.

[LadyDoc]

If it was a life or death problem, I'd premedicate with prednisone and then benadryl. That's how we do it if we need to do an X Ray with an Iodine based contrast media. (nowadays, usually MRI or other stuff can be done).

However, the Iodide here protects against Thyroid cancer. Not everyone gets thyroid cancer from radiation.

If she might die from Iodine, the chance of dying immediately from the iodine is much higher than the chance of getting thyroid cancer years later and dying, especially if she is over 50. If she just gets a rash, and she is young, (i.e under 50, so that if she got cancer she would be young enough for the cancer to shorten life significantly), she might try the Prednisone etc.

Personally, I wouldn't take the iodine if I had this history, since thyroid cancer is treatable, and the risk is not that high.

[Lion's Cub]

fyi. This doesn't make much sense to me. Why single out postal workers from other government workers? Even if there were a specific threat, you don't take the tablets until the emergency occurs. Why stock them for everyone but only distribute to postal workers?