Why Are Europeans Buying Iodine Pills And Why Do European Capitals Intend To Stockpile It

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, people in Europe are alarmed. Numerous people across different European nations are buying iodine tablets. The price of iodine pills has tripled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Although the threat of nuclear weapons is low in Europe and alarmism is certainly unwarranted, the threat is greater that it has been in decades. It is odd to believe that people in Europe buying iodine pills is actual news and not a scene from the movie Dr. Strangelove (an American film from the 60s about world on the verge of nuclear catastrophe).

Why are people buying iodine pills?

Well, one of the insidious dangers of a nuclear accident or bombs is the release of radioactive iodine. This radioactive iodine gets concentrated in the thyroid gland when we breathe after a radioactive leak or explosion. This leads to severe illness and death. Potassium iodine tablets is consumed as it saturates the gland with iodine. This prevents the absorption of the radioactive material up to a certain degree.

It is important to note that the pills only protect the thyroid, and not other parts of the body, from radioactive iodine, and they should only be taken on the advice of public health or emergency management officials, according to the CDC's website.

Taking the pills preventatively, if radioactive iodine is not present, can cause harm to the body.

The pills have been distributed in the aftermath of nuclear power plant meltdowns. Studies conducted after the Chernobyl disaster found that people who took the pills had lower level of radioactive iodine in their thyroid compared to people who didn't take the pills.

Is this similar to people buying toilet rolls during the pandemic?

No, it isn't. It's not just individuals who are buying iodine tablets because they are concerned but it is the EU as well. The EU intends to boost stockpile of iodine pills and stockpile of nuclear protective gear too!

The Commission is also working on ways to deal with the possibility of chemical and biological attacks. This development comes after the US warned its allies that Russia might use such weapons.

What's the need to stockpile these pills?

Few days ago, pharmacies in Belgium, Bulgaria and Czech Republic ran out of iodine pills. This happened after Russian troops took control of a Ukrainian nuclear power station. Although no significant spike in radioactivity levels was observed, the rhetoric of politicians may have played a role in the alarmism and panic buying.

Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, an MEP for French president Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche party told FT that, "We have a nuclear threat from a mad guy in the Kremlin. We need a European stockpile and to have a system of alert and monitoring. We need to do simulations to be ready."

The alarmism might also have something to do with Europe's experience of the pandemic. The belief in Brussels and other European capitals is that they were unprepared for the pandemic due to their dependency on others as they were caught without sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment or a vaccine.

As a result of this, last year Brussels established the Health Emergency Preparedness Response Authority (HERA). The purpose was to identify future health emergencies and be prepared for them. It is likely that even they didn't think that Europe will have to deal with another crisis.

Although in the EU, it is the national governments who decide most matters related to health, in case of an emergency, the newly formed HERA will take over. Their role will include targeted development, procurement and purchase of raw material and developing production facilities to produce the necessary medical countermeasures. Stockpiling pills that might be required in the event of a nuclear accident is a key part of this plan.