Should you be taking potassium iodide?

With fears that radiation from Japan could reach the West Coast of the United States, sales of potassium iodide (KI) have soared. This chemical will protect the thyroid from radiation, but whether you need to buy it or take it is a real question.

In California, U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said it would not be an overreaction to buy it. On the other hand, Kelly Huston of the California Emergency Management Agency. Huston said state officials, along with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the California Energy Commission, were monitoring the situation and people don't need to buy the pills.

What should you do? The one thing you shouldn't do is to start taking the stuff because of what you read in the news. Here is some guidance from the Centers for Disease Control. The fact sheet at the link describes who should take it and the proper doses. It also warns about side effects. So don't take it without instructions to do so from public health officials and/or advice from your doctor.

Here's more about potassium iodide at Wikipedia.

I learned that kelp is a natural source of KI, although the iodide content can range from 89 µg/g to 8165 µg/g in Asian varieties, making prepared foods content difficult to estimate.