nuclear-news

Iodine jelly to be handed out to infants living within 30 km of nuclear plants

As a reminder:

A fallout, is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear reaction conducted in an unshielded facility, so called because it “falls out” of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust which can also originate from a damaged nuclear plant. Fallout may take the form of black rain (rain darkened by particulates).

This radioactive dust, consisting of material either directly vaporized by a nuclear blast or charged by exposure, is a highly dangerous kind of radioactive contamination.

Some radiation taints large amounts of land and drinking water causing formal mutations throughout animal and human life.

Iodine tablets only protect the thyroid gland from the Iodine 131, it does not protect anyone from the other occuring fallout radionuclides: ⁹¹Sr, ⁹²Sr, ⁹⁵Zr, ⁹⁹Mo, ¹⁰⁶Ru, ¹³¹Sb, ³²Te, ¹³⁴Te, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁴⁰Ba, ¹⁴¹La, ¹⁴⁴C etc. Iodine 131 has also a very short half-life, 8 days, meaning a full life of 80 to 140 days, whereas most of the other fallout radionuclides have a much longer life span. By example  Cesium 134 has a half life of 2 years, a full life of 20 to 30 years, Strontium 90 a half life of 28,8 years, a full life of 288 to 432 years, Cesium 137 a half life of 30 years, a full life of 300 to 450 years.

Another thing, even if the population with the Fukushima catastrophe was only evacuated within a 30km radius, the Fukushima March plume has spread heavily within a 90km radius and less heavily up to a 250km radius.

Iodine jelly to be handed out to infants living within 30 km of nuclear plants

The Cabinet Office said it will soon start distributing iodine jelly to infants living within 30 km of nuclear power plants in a bid to protect their thyroids from possible radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear disaster.

According to the office, about 110,000 infants qualify for the iodine jellies.

There are 21 prefectures where the 30-km radius applies. In addition, infants living within three other prefectures — Kanagawa, Osaka and Okayama — which have nuclear fuel processing facilities are also part of the initiative.

Some local governments have been distributing iodine tablets to all residents for over three years, including in a tablet form for infants that would have to be crushed and mixed with syrup in the event of an accident. But to date this had not been in an iodine jelly form.

The local governments will receive about 300,000 packages, starting as early as this fall, which have a shelf life of three years, the Cabinet Office said.

There are two types of iodine jelly: one for babies under 1 month old and another for those over 1 month and up to 3 years.

Taking the jelly or tablets is supposed to stop the thyroid glands from absorbing iodine contained in radiation in the event of a nuclear disaster, as iodine tends to accumulate in the thyroid.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/14/national/iodine-jelly-works-infants-living-within-30-km-japans-nuclear-plants/#.V4g-Ed_TvEJ.facebook

July 17, 2016 - Posted by dunrenard | Japan | Iodine Tablets, Iodine-131, Radiation Protection, Radionuclides