RE: Potassium Iodide

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

Responding to Patricia Milligan's comment:



Iodine-based antiseptics are GRAS and sold over the counter with dosage

instructions on the bottle and children among the more likely subjects of

their use.  The Miller et al. experiments established that about 4 square

inches -- a palm-sized area -- was sufficient to load the thyroid with

stable iodine.  Instructions on how often to repeat application could be

provided along with other public safety information.



KI tablets only provide appropriate dosages if the dosage instructions are

followed, something that does not always happen.  Certainly, with pills,

massive overdoses of iodine and potassium are possible, an outcome that

would be extremely unlikely (for iodine) and impossible (for potassium) with

topical application.



I think the advantages of topical application remain and still consider the

unwillingness of NRC, CDC, and HPS to even inform the public of the

alternative to be scientific and regulatory malpractice.  It might also be

interesting to explore why funding to Miller et al. was cut off after

successful experiments on three different species.



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.



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

From: Patricia Milligan

To: Jim_Hardeman@dnr.state.ga.us; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Sent: 12/20/2002 9:43 AM

Subject: RE: Potassium Iodide



As I understand it, the dose of iodine received could not be controlled

as compared to a tablet.  So an individual may not receive enough or may

receive too much (in the case of small children).  but these are my

thoughts and do not represent the thoughts of my employer. 

P. Milligan, CHP, RPh

USNRC

301-415-2223



>>> "Dukelow, James S Jr" <jim.dukelow@PNL.GOV> 12/19/2002 20:17:13 >>>



I haven't been paying much attention to the KI thread on Radsafe, but I

would like to comment that I consider it scientific and regulatory

malpractice on the part of NRC, CDC, and HPS to not tell the public

about

topical application of iodine-bearing antiseptics as an alternative

method

of blocking the thyroid.  Experiments conducted by Kenneth Miller and

his

colleagues at Penn State establish pretty convincingly that a few square

inches of antiseptic would load the thyroid with stable iodine.



Consider the advantages:



1)  wide availability, as close as the nearest drugstore or supermarket



2)  So you laid in a stock of KI pills.  The alarm goes up.  You're not

at

home or you are at home and can't remember where you put those pills.

Do

you remember where you keep the antiseptic?  You are 50 miles from home.

What do you do now?



3)  Potassium is one of the more important cations in the body and the

consequences of messing with the bodies potassium levels can be pretty

severe.  No such problem with tincture of iodine or povodone.



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.

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