Just received iodine tablets from the Feds. Looks like in case of an emergency we will be asked to take these tablets.
Are there any medicos and nuclear scientists here on this forum who could provide some more info?
This subject has popped up before here .
The science-y bit from the thread was:
We were given iodine tablets a few years ago. I put them in a safe place but it will take me most of a day to remember where that safe place was.
My husband got them years ago. I don't think I ever got any
We have just been told to take ours back to the pharmacy or commune for destruction as the nuclear plant near us has ceased to be active.
Supposedly if there is an accident the sirens will go off and you’re supposed to turn on the radio to find out what to do. It never happened so I don’t really know how it works in practice.
From the link shared by dilip_gem:
The thyroid gland is always hungry for iodine (atomic number 53). Iodine has radioactive isotopes that may form during a nuclear accident when food is exposed to radiation or radioactive compounds. The thyroid cannot distinguish between normal iodine and a radioactive isotope, it will absorb both. This absorption may lead to thyroid cancer. I recommend to not try to find out how this was learned. We just know it, leave it at that The protection mechanism for our body is to saturate our blood stream with "good iodine", then we just absorb and then piss or sweat the radioactive iodine isotopes. The timescale for these processes is "hours".
The question is Why now? Are they planning to dismantle the plant or they set up a new plant near Zurich? We live in Zurich City and received the tablets this morning - so it made me a bit nervous. I'm not sure where the nuclear plant is (Schlieren?).
I was given a radioactive isotope every 3 months when I had breast cancer, because I had to have my heart x-rayed to check it was functioning properly (due to possible side effects of Herceptin treatment).
Might be to do with the shelf-life of the tablets. Depending on how long you have been in your present place, this might just be a replacement for most people in your area but if you're relatively new there (let's say within 10 years?), it's the first time you've received them.
The tablets are aimed at people living within 50 km from a power plant. Closest plant to Zürich city is Beznau in canton Aargau.
Sadly, no new plant near ZH. Happily, no plant is being decommissioned. These tablets are distributed to people every 10 years or so as a last line of defense against a nuclear accident.
Next time you fly from ZH airport, pay attention to the typical clouds created by the cooling system of the plants. These clouds are specially visible during the winter. A column of clouds is piercing through the flat fog covering us. One of these clouds is Beznau, the other is Gösgen.
My husband's tablets were dispensed in early 2015.
more important, keep some bottle of wine in the cellar.
Due to climate change, there are lots of new species of insects and spiders appearing in Switzerland.
One of the new spiders is a bit strange, it's blue and red in colour.
If you get bitten by one of these, you should take one of the iodine tablets within a few hours... otherwise you will turn into Spiderman! (..or Spider-person).
The article I posted above from Swiss Info lists the active plants.
Many Germans live near our power plants but they do not get such tablets.
Yes, could be. I also received a batch yesterday: the ones that I already had from last time round expire midway through next year.