Here is information from Dr. David Brownstein, author of Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Japan Radiation Update
I have received many questions from my post yesterday about the nuclear disaster in Japan. Unfortunately, there has been little information about the amount of radiation released from either Japan or the U.S. I find it hard to believe no one in the U.S. government has any idea on the amount of radiation that has been released and the amount of radiation that is predicted to fall over the U.S. in the next 3-7 days.
What should we do? I still say that we have time to sit tight as there is still time to take enough iodine in order to prevent problems from radioactive iodine. How much iodine? As stated yesterday, the U.S. government recommends 130mg of potassium iodide in the event of a nuclear disaster. However, that amount is only necessary for those who are near a nuclear explosion.
Thankfully, we are not near the explosion. As the cloud drifts over the ocean, the amount of radioactivity will dissipate. Although there is no sure amount that we know will prevent damage from this catastrophe, ensuring adequate iodine intake will minimize any exposure to radioactive iodine. How much iodine is that? Until we know what the exposure is going to be, no one can know what dose of iodine to take.
Now it is time to get off the fence. The average Japanese ingests around 13mg of iodine per day. This is 100x more than the average U.S. citizen. I have discussed this in my book, Iodine Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It. Since I have been recommending most people take 6-50mg of iodine per day, I would suggest taking the average Japanese dose of 13mg/day. This is one Iodoral pill or one Iodozyme HP pill or two drops of Lugol’s iodine. I do not believe microgram doses will do the trick.
[Note from Beverly: the Japanese intake estimates range from 1 to 15 milligrams. From my research I think the 13 milligrams figure, which came from now-disputed calculations based on seaweed consumption, is too high an estimate of average consumption in Japan.]
There is risk with taking iodine, just as there is risk with any substance, but my experience has shown this dose to be safe for the vast majority of people. Please discuss this dosage with your health care provider before beginning supplementation.
