Romanians advised to buy iodine tablets at risk of nuclear disaster – News

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday warned of the risk of a “nuclear catastrophe” at the Russian-occupied Ukrainian power plant in Zaporizhia, after the installations were hit again on Friday, including by Kiev and Moscow. They blame each other. The power plant, the largest in Europe, is located 700 km from the Romanian border.

The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, asked those under 40 “to present themselves as soon as possible to their family doctor, to ask for a prescription from them,” according to the Romanian news agency Agerpres. The Ministry of Health published a list of 2,500 pharmacies where people under 40 – who are vulnerable to thyroid damage due to cancer and radiation – can get the pills for free.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, the Romanian government ordered its pharmaceutical industry to double production of iodine tablets in the event of a nuclear accident at the former Chernobyl power plant or another facility on Ukrainian territory. These pills prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine, help to eliminate this substance and reduce the risk of getting thyroid cancer.

oh SAPO24 I spoke to a resident of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, who said that despite the announcement by the Minister of Health, “for now, there is not much information about the action, apart from the announcement on June 24: Community pharmacies are authorized to provide 65 ml of potassium iodide free of charge, with the advice of a family doctor”.

According to the Agerpres agency, cited by Lusa, the Romanian government has stockpiled 30 million iodine tablets for its people, fearing the risk of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine. According to the Romanian Minister of Health, the demand for these pills may increase already today due to the situation in Ukraine.

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