The EU banned Iodine? What the heck??!!

[Wook]

I'm (unusually for me) going to have some time for hiking over the next wee while, so I went out to stock up. I wanted to get some Iodine drops for purifying water from Grampian mountains streams on my hikes. I couldn't find it anywhere.

It turns out there is a reason - it's been banned as a water purifying agent by directive from the EU! Nearly 3 years ago apparently, and I didn't notice. I couldn't believe it. Iodine has been used by generations of hikers, is naturally occurring in the body and does not produce nearly so unpleasant a taste as chlorine.

I had to settle for chlorine tablets which I do not like nearly as much. It tastes horrible, and the flavour neutralising agents can't touch it. What's more, you're basically drinking bleach.

I know chlorine is safe in the small quantities involved, but I have to say I'm rather annoyed.

Who are the EU to tell me I can't use Iodine if I want?

Swimming pool flavoured water is of course still preferable to contracting sheep intestinal parasites from untreated water, but I'd have preferred Iodine....

 

[Perrari]

What about Pottassium Permanganate granules, I think it is pretty much the same thing(may be wrong). I bought some from a chemist about 2 years ago, but I dont know if you can still buy it know ?

 

[Harvestman]

What about Pottassium Permanganate granules, I think it is pretty much the same thing(may be wrong). I bought some from a chemist about 2 years ago, but I dont know if you can still buy it know ?

I know nothing else about this topic except to say that Potassium permanganate and Iodine are completely different substances.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Can Iodine be used to prevent/help with radiation poisoning?

 

[British Red]

The EU didn't ban it - there is plenty around - just not sold in inflated prices in camping shops. Just buy some from a farm shop and an eye dropper. What you use it for is your business.

 

[Perrari]

OK fair enough !

 

[British Red]

Can Iodine be used to prevent/help with radiation poisoning?

In tablet form it reduces the risk of thyroid cancer - but not all the other effects of fallout

 

[Wook]

The EU didn't ban it - there is plenty around - just not sold in inflated prices in camping shops. Just buy some from a farm shop and an eye dropper. What you use it for is your business.

The ones marketed for water purification provided the correct dosage for a given volume of water, which was handy. How do I work out the dose with an off the shelf iodine dropper? It seems to come in strengths ranging from 2% - 14%.

 

[Expat]

In tablet form it reduces the risk of thyroid cancer - but not all the other effects of fallout

Wasn't that among the reasons for iodising table salt..?

 

[British Red]

Not really Expat - lack of iodine causes thyroid problems and mental deficiency. Its a necessary micronutrient.

Wook - 5 drops per litre (clear running water) to 10 drops (still turbid) water of 2% potassium iodide is the norm. If you had, say, 6% solution, use 1/3 the amount of drops or dilute the "iodine" by 1:2 iodine to water and use the normal amount

Its easy to do and the instructions are out there. I can give specifics if you buy a solution

Red

 

[IanM]

The EU did not ban Iodine for water purification. They demanded (under a regulation called REACH) that suppliers had to register the use of all chemicals and supply proof that they did what they claimed they did. No Iodine water treatment supplier was willing to do the tests and document them as it would be expensive, tens of thousands of pounds, and their competitors would then use that published proof to supply, without having contributed to the costs, piggybacking on the original registration. So no registration as a water treatment = no sales. It still works though.

Ingestion of Iodine in the hours before exposure to the radioactive Iodine in fallout will block the deposition of the radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland, where it is stored in the body, as the gland would already be saturated and the radioactive Iodine would just pass through the body. The radioactive Iodine could not then cause thyroid cancers in later life.

The latest thinking is that the the extra chance of cancer is very low for those exposed who are over the age of 35-40 or so, but is more critical in babies and young children, just because the cancers have longer time to show themselves. The older you are the more likely you are to die of other things than radioactive Iodine induced thyroid cancer. Also many people react badly to the non radioactive Iodine so, in general, for the people over 35-40 the treatment is worse than the disease.

Fallout exposed children should have Iodine thyroid blockers before or within an hour or so of and during the exposure, young children getting a reduced dose because of Iodine toxicity, more is NOT better. Young adults probably could benefit but for older people it is probably not worth it and you might be making yourself very sick for no advantage unless you have a massive exposure to radioactive Iodine.

An early but readable US paper is at:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM080542.pdf

A better UK source paper but you need a degree in statistics to fathom it:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947336017

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

http://wynnstayonline.co.uk/wynnstay-10-iodine-solution.html

is this stuff ok?

 

[Andy BB]

In my youth I visited Dungeness B nuclear station (eery standing on top of the actual reactor!) and being told that they had reserves of potassium Iodate (iodite?) tablets for immediate distribution to nearby residents in the event of a radioactive leak. Mind you, that was 40-odd years ago so I'm guessing thinking has changed since then...........

 

[British Red]

http://wynnstayonline.co.uk/wynnstay-10-iodine-solution.html

is this stuff ok?

Its a 10% solution - so either dilute with four parts water to one part solution or use a reduced number of drops per litre compared to "normal" 2% water purification solution. About a lifetime supply there!

 

[Shewie]

It was looking like I might end up on radio active iodine if my thyroid couldn't be controlled, luckily my tablets have eventually kicked in and I've started to turn the corner.

It probably sounds more scary than it actually is but I'm relieved I'm not going down that route

 

[JL12 ML]

In my youth I visited Dungeness B nuclear station (eery standing on top of the actual reactor!) and being told that they had reserves of potassium Iodate (iodite?) tablets for immediate distribution to nearby residents in the event of a radioactive leak. Mind you, that was 40-odd years ago so I'm guessing thinking has changed since then...........

They still issue them to people living in the neaby area. My gramps get it but give it away, they are old and live so close its a bit pointless them having it.

 

[Andy BB]

They still issue them to people living in the neaby area. My gramps get it but give it away, they are old and live so close its a bit pointless them having it.

Now that's interesting! I asked when I was there why they didn't give then to the local community so that they could self-administer in the event of a leak, and never got a sensible reply. Clearly they've now moved on to doing that.

 

[hog]

Potassium permangenate is good stuff, we used it for years to soak fruit (to clean) in Southern Africa.

 

[Bongo]

I freelance for a number of expedition companies and up until last year iodine was the norm. They then started to issue a sodium peroxide based system.

a really good idea add a tablet to a tiny bottle of water (doesn't have to be clean) leave it for 5 minutes you then have the means to purify 650 litres of water. Add it to the unpurified water wthin a couple of minutes good to drink. Odorless, tasteless and colourless.

A great system until an individual treats it as a magic bottle and doesn't add the tablet. Que me trying to work out a mystery illness 5 days before the end of a trip within a three man tent group (turns out they'd been sharing puryfying drops)

the name of this escapes me but i'm using it again this month so will come back with it.

certainly better than iodine in my experience (as long as you understand the concept!!!)

seems to be the way things are going after the EU got involved!!!

Dan

 

[santaman2000]

Personally I prefer the chlorine. Granted it isn't the most pleasant taste but then again neither is the iodine. Plus chlorine kills 99.99% of al those nasties out there; iodine, not so much. Ironically chlorine tablets are harder to find over here. Available yes, but not easily found on the shelf.