Panicky public buys out potassium iodide

As soon as the news hit about radiation leaking from nuclear facilities in Japan, many people in the Flathead Valley rushed to local pharmacies and health-food stores and bought all supplies of potassium iodide tablets and liquid.

A preventive measure, potassium iodide taken at the right time and dose helps protect the thyroid from taking up radioactive iodine linked to thyroid cancer.

Debbie Bauer, a pharmacist at Bigfork Drug, said she and other staffers have fielded “tons” of inquiries from worried people concerned about radioactive fallout from Japan. To calm their fears, Bauer hands out printouts from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a state advisory.

“It’s not necessary to get overly concerned,” she said.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission statement said weather conditions have taken “small releases from the Fukushima reactors out to sea away from the population.”

“Given the thousands of miles between the two countries, Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. Territories and the U.S. West Coast are not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity.”

The news release dated Sunday said Japan’s preventive measures mirror those of the United States during a nuclear event. They include evacuating a 10-mile radius of the facility, staying indoors and taking potassium iodide.

According to Bauer, Bigfork Drug and many other drug stores don’t normally stock over-the-counter potassium iodide tablets. She said they occasionally get a prescription form used for various treatments.

To help customers, Bauer said she called Withey’s Health Foods in Kalispell on Saturday and found out it had just one bottle of capsules and one bottle of liquid left. Those were immediately gone, according to Withey employee Sharon Smith.

“We’re expecting more in,” Smith said. “As soon as the news was out — before they started talking about potassium iodide — people in the know came in and started buying it.”

She said she got some for herself and some to send to her daughter who lives on the coastal area of Oregon. Smith said people may add their names to a list of customers to call when Withey’s receives its order.

“It’s a very long list,” she said. “People started panicking on Friday.”

Patricia Johnson, co-owner of Mountain Valley Foods, said customers also exhausted her store’s supply of potassium iodide. The store also has a list of people to call if more becomes available.

“We have an order,” she said. “It’s being tableted now.”

According to Johnson, suppliers haven’t been optimistic about filling orders for the normally inexpensive supplement. She called it a “wait and see deal.”

Because of the high demand, manufacturers may ration distribution.

“We completely sold out all products over the weekend, including thyroid supplements,” she said.

According to County Health Officer Joe Russell, people should relax and save their money.

He said his department sent out the information from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and an advisory from the state Department of Health and Human Services.

“There is no threat,” he said. “Radiation levels are unchanged at this point.”

 Russell said the Flathead City-County Health Department has fielded many phone calls from concerned citizens. Others have come to the county health clinic asking for prescriptions for potassium iodide.

“There’s no reason to get it,” Russell said. “The NRC does a good job of monitoring this stuff. I can assure you that there are portable monitors on the West Coast.”

Although radiation has a half-life of hundreds of years, Russell said the radiation is low at the Japan site and becomes highly dispersed as it travels. He said the radiation from the Japan plant consists of larger alpha particles that don’t go through the skin but can be inhaled.

“If the time comes, what we probably would tell people is to stay inside,” he said.

 Russell sent the state advisory and Nuclear Regulatory Commission notice to all health-care providers on Tuesday. It contained the link to http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation  for more information.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.