RE: KI

["Dukelow, James S Jr" <jim.dukelow@PNL.GOV>]

Kjell Johansen wrote:

-----Original Message-----

From: Kjell A. Johansen [mailto:kajohans@powercom.net]

Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 10:41 AM

To: radsafe

Subject: KI





Radsafers,

I seem to remember reading somewhere that I can be administered by

rubbing tincture of I on the skin.  The degree of protection was not as

great but still offered some protection.  Does anyone else recall such

an article.



Kjell Johansen

kajohans@powercom.net



======================



Kjell,



The work you are thinking of was done by Kenneth Miller and his colleagues

at Penn State.  Their experiments suggested that topical application of

iodine-bearing antiseptics would be as effective in loading the thyroid with

stable iodine as KI pills.  From my point of view, it would have several

advantages over distribution of KI to the general public.



I append an email exchange I had with Professor Miller about five years ago.



Best regards.



Jim Dukelow

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Richland, WA

jim.dukelow@pnl.gov



These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my

management or by the U.S. Department of Energy.



==========================



Author:  kmiller@radmail.xray.hmc.psu.edu at -SMTPlink

Date:    2/21/96  3:10 PM

Priority: Normal

TO: James S Jr Dukelow at ~PNL5

Subject: Re: Thyroid loading with tin

------------------------------- Message Contents

-------------------------------

                      RE>Thyroid loading with tincture of iodine   2/21/96



Jim,

Our research on effectiveness of topically applied iodine culminated in 

studies in humans and was published in HEALTH PHYSICS as per the following:



Miller, K.L.; Coen, P.E.;  White, W.J.;  Hurst, W.J.;  Achey, B.E.;  Lang, 

C.M.:  "Effectiveness of Skin Absorption of Tincture of I in Blocking 

Radioiodine from the Human Thyroid Gland",   Health Physics, Vol. 56, No. 6.



Pages 911-914, 1989.



Unfortunately, although we needed to do additional studies in order to come

up 

with specific recommendations on optimum dose of tincture of iodine, ideal 

body location for application, advanages/disadvantages of occlusive

dressing, 

etc. there were no TMI or Chernobyl accidents going on at the time and we 

could not obtain the funding necessary to do further studies. In all, we 

published the results of 3 studies, first in rats, secondly in dogs and 

finally, in humans. All showed promise of an alternative for those times

when 

KI would not be sufficiently available.

I hope this helps. Incidentally, my phone number is (office) 717-531-8027, 

(home) 717-533-4078. My e-mail address is kmiller@xray.hmc.psu.edu



If you need further information, please let me know. 

Regards,

Ken



-------------------------------------- 

Date: 2/21/96 5:24 PM

To: Kenneth Miller

From: js_dukelow@ccmail.pnl.gov

Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 14:12 -0800 (PST) 

From: js_dukelow@ccmail.pnl.gov

Subject: Thyroid loading with tincture of iodine 

To: kmiller@chasse-spleen.xray.hmc.psu.edu 



Dear Professor Miller:



     Perhaps email will let us avoid telephone tag.  The RADSAFE mailing

list has had a discussion thread for the last week or so on the safety of 

potassium iodide used as a thyroid blocker.  I remember a short note in 

Science News several years back about your group's work with rats on the 

efficacy of thyroid blocking using ingested KI versus iodine absorbed 

through the skin using tincture of iodine and povidine.  The article ended 

with the note that you intended to due some further testing; I was curious 

what, if any, further results you obtained.  I was planning on sending a 

brief message to RADSAFE describing your earlier results and thought it 

would be nice to be able to bring it up to date.



     More generally, it has puzzled me that your research is not more

widely known in the health physics and nuclear engineering communities, 

since I-131 is a primary driver for the public health consequences of a 

wide variety of hypothesized reactor accidents (and real ones, for that 

matter).



     Best regards.



Jim Dukelow

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

Richland, WA



   <snip>

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