ANTI-RADIATION PILLS
- The EU has decided to pre-emptively supply 5.5 million anti-radiation pills to be distributed among residents in the vicinity of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya power plant.
- Pills are to be taken once a radiation leak has been confirmed.
Radiation emergency
- An unplanned / intentional event that creates a radio-nuclear hazard to humans and the environment.
- Involves radiation exposure from a radioactive source and requires prompt intervention.
Anti-radiation pills
- Potassium iodide (KI) tablets
- Can provide some protection in cases of radiation exposure.
- Contain non-radioactive iodine
- Can help block absorption of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland.
Working of pills
- After a radiation leak, radioactive iodine floats through the air and then contaminates food, water and soil.
- While radioactive iodine deposited during external exposure can be removed by using warm water & soap, inhaling it poses a bigger risk.
- Internal exposure - when radioactive iodine enters the body and accumulates in the thyroid gland.
- Thyroid gland uses iodine to produce hormones to regulate the body's metabolism.
- But cannot differentiate between radioactive & non-radioactive iodine.
Prelims Takeaway
- Radioactive iodine
- Location based questions