Supply for emergencies is ensured. Ingestion only for certain groups of people and only after official request
Vienna (OTS) – Due to the current reporting, the Ministry of Health feels compelled to point out some important information in connection with and handling of potassium iodide tablets:
The situation in Ukraine does not currently require private individuals in Austria to stockpile potassium iodide tablets, since in the event of a nuclear power plant accident in the course of hostilities in Ukraine there is no need to take potassium iodide tablets in Austria due to the great distance.
Even in the event of a serious reactor accident near the border in Austria, there would in all likelihood be no need to take potassium iodide tablets throughout the country. Even in borderline cases, revenue would only be required in the most affected areas. In such a case, the health authorities will announce which people should take potassium iodide tablets and in which regions it is necessary to take them.
Therefore, there is currently no need for citizens to buy potassium iodide tablets on the open market. In Austria, sufficient tablets are immediately available for emergencies.
In addition, the following applies: Potassium iodide tablets may only be taken if expressly requested by the health authorities. The most important target groups are under 18s, pregnant and breastfeeding women. People over 40 years of age should no longer take potassium iodide tablets, as their risk of developing radiation-induced thyroid cancer is very low, but the risk of serious side effects from iodine intake is high.
For precautionary reasons, the Federal Ministry of Health has been procuring potassium iodide tablets for the population since the early 1990s. In order to enable the tablets to be taken in good time, a forward-looking stocking plan was drawn up. In addition, decentralized storage facilities are available in Austria in which sufficient potassium iodide tablets are available for the population should they be needed in an emergency. For this reason, there is no need to buy tablets on the open market in Austria. The Ministry of Health once again expressly points out that in this context it should only act on the requests of the health authorities and not take any independent steps.
Questions & contact:
Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK)
Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Böhm
press officer
+43 1 711 00-862479
press officer@sozialministerium.at
www.sozialministerium.at