RE: KI Pills

[Karin Gordon <KGordon@exchange.HSC.MB.CA>]

You asked:

	"Does anyone know a source for KI tablets?  Someone must mass
produce them."


Thyro-Block Potassium Iodide Tablets (130 mg) U.S.P. 
Thyroid blocking agent packaged 14 tablets to a small amber screw-cap vial.
(Obviously designed for distribution to the public living near a nuclear
power station to be used in the event of an emergency)

Label information verbatim:

Indications:  
Thyroid blocking in a radiation emergency only.

Manufactured by: 

	Carter-Horner Inc.
	Mississauga, Ontario
	Canada, L5N 1L9

	Phone: 	(905) 826-6200
		(905) 826-5999
Dosage:
Adults and children one year of age or older: one (1) tablet once a day.
Crush for small children.  Babies under one year of age: one half (1/2)
tablet once a day. Crush first. Take for 10days unless directed otherwise by
a provincial or public health authorities. To be used only on the advice of
a physician.  Store ina controlled rooom temperature 15 -30 degrees Celcius.
Keep container tightly closed and protect from light. 
*************************
There is also a package insert that I don't have a copy of.	 This is a
Canadian supplier, there must be suppliers in the U.S. as well. Any corner
druggist  will be able to find it for you by looking it up (potassium
iodide) in the drug bible: your country's annual  "pharmaceutical
compendium", which lists drugs and suppliers. 

	About 10years ago, we had an accident  when a radiopharmacy worker
splashed a few millicuries of I-131 NaI across her face and eyes.  We
administered Lugols solution (a liquid form of KI) mixed with a soft drink
right away, it was quite effective and prevented a thyroid uptake, even
though her nasal  secretions (tissue nose-blows) were hot for a few hours
after the spill due to drainage of tears from her eyes through the
naso-lacrimal duct into her nasopharynx (even after a 10 minute eye-wash
immediately after the spill).   Lugols solution  is OK, but it tastes quite
awful (she gagged a lot as I remember) and it is less stable than the KI
tablet form. Since that incident I keep some on hand in key locations for
possible accidents by workers handling I-131  and I-125  in our nuclear
medicine and biomedical research labs.  The pill must be taken as soon as
possible after the possible intake to be effective. A substantial benefit
(e.g. thyroid blockage of 50%) is attainable only during the  first 3-4
hours after the radioisotope exposure - the sooner the blocking agent is
administered, the higher the blockage. A passable substitute for the KI
tablets is ordinary over-the-counter tincture of iodine, painted on the skin
of the forearm, which is rapidly absorbed through the skin.  Of course, in
the teaching hospital environment we've always got lots of doctors about to
quickly prescribe the stuff if necessary. Some folks have an iodine
sensitivity and can develop a reaction - but this is quite rare and not  (I
believe) life-threatening.
	  
Karin Gordon
Radiation Safety Officer
Health Sciences Centre
GC-214, 820 Sherbrook Street
Winnipeg, 
Manitoba
Canada R3A 1R9

phone: (204) 787-2903
fax:      (204) 787-1313
e-mail:  KGordon@hsc.mb.ca






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