Japan Earthquake and Radiation Risk

Dear Friends,

As a member of the Snohomish County Board of Health, I received a memo this morning from Dr. Gary Goldbaum, the Health Officer & Director for the Snohomish County Health District. The key phrase in Dr. Goldbaum's memo reads as follows:

"The most important message is that there is no health risk to Snohomish County residents at this time and so we do not recommend preventive measures such as oral potassium iodide."

Click here read the Goldbaum memo in its entirety

For more information about the current event & the use of potassium iodide and Prussian Blue:

CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response: Radiation Emergencies http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/index.asp

FDA: Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium iodide (potassium iodide) http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/ucm072265.htm

Guidance: Potassium iodide as a Thyroid Blocking Agent in Radiation Emergencies (FDA, 2001) http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM080542.pdf

Washington State Department of Health

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Topics/japan2011.htm

Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC)

http://www.nrc.gov/