Price of anti-radiation pills spikes 100% as Putin rattles saber

The price of pills that can help protect people from radiation poisoning has almost tripled after Russia’s attack on Ukraine and amid fears that the conflict could lead to a nuclear incident.

According to a Bloomberg report, European consumers are rushing to buy iodine and potassium iodide pills, which could reduce the effects of exposure to nuclear radiation with pharmacies in Finland, Norway and Luxembourg selling their supplies.

Concerns over a nuclear attack rose after President Vladimir Putin last week he ordered Russia’s nuclear forces to be alerted to what he called “aggressive statements” by NATO officials.

Russian forces also invaded Ukraine bombed Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine on March 4, although no increase in radiation was recorded. Ukraine had previously warned that a “radioactive cloud” could be released from a Chernobyl nuclear power plant after Russia cut off its power supply, preventing it from cooling spent fuel.

At Amazon, a bottle of 180 bottles of potassium iodide now costs $ 70, more than just a few weeks before $ 30, according to CamelCamelCamel, which tracks product price histories sold online.

Even anxious consumers in the United States are turning to Google for answers on how to protect themselves from a possible nuclear threat, Bloomberg reported. Questions include: “Does iodine help nuclear war?”, “Where can I buy iodine pills?” and “iodine pills for radiation?” have risen to the top of the regular search topics in recent days, according to Google. Searches for “iodine aid in nuclear war” have risen more than 1,000 percent in the past seven days, according to the company.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, potassium iodide can prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine and protect against injury.

The pills only protect the thyroid, not other parts of the body, from radioactive iodine, and should only be taken with the advice of public health or emergency management officials, according to the CDC website. Taking the pills preventively, if there is no radioactive iodine, it can cause damage to the body.

The large number of purchases has led the Luxembourg government to warn citizens not to take the tablets unless recommended by the authorities.

Adults should only be advised to take potassium iodide if they are expected to be exposed to high doses of radioactive iodine.