Best Iodine Tablets for Radiation Emergencies

Iodine tablets (potassium iodide) are a simple way to help protect yourself in the event of a radiation emergency. When a nuclear accident or (God forbid) a nuclear attack happens, iodine tablets can help protect you. It’s not exactly an everyday item so it is difficult to replace if you don’t have it available when SHTF.

Potassium Iodide is specifically prescribed in emergency doses that ‘fill up’ your thyroid. You don’t just start popping the tablets out of the blue because they can cause harm if used too often. We cover a lot of the bases, with scientists, certified emergency managers, and just well-researched preppers on our team- but we aren’t doctors, so everything in this article is our opinion and not medical advice.

You are supposed to wait for authorities to tell you to take potassium iodide supplements, but a mushroom cloud is a pretty good sign as well. You will probably feel just a little foolish if they advise you to take them and you don’t have any on hand, so you need to figure out what you need now- before the emergency.

This is where we come in. We’ve researched the best iodine tablets, collected several brands/types, and the results are in: the overall best, a budget option, and a powder option for the DIYers. If you need iodine tablets that won’t let you down in a nuclear emergency, one of our suggestions will help you weather the fallout.

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Contents (Jump to a Section)

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The most well-known brand happens to be the most effective for survival kits. However, this can be a double-edged sword as any nuclear escalation causes iOSAT to be sold out very quickly. It’s always best to pick this up before any radiation event, and not pay the hyper-inflated prices that iOSAT sticks around at during emergencies or at times when a nuclear threat is elevated.

With fourteen 130mg dosages prepackaged in an easy-to-use (and store) blister pack, iOSAT has been the preferred potassium iodide tablet for radiation emergencies around the globe. This is the ideal dosage to protect one adult, and the blister pack helps you remember if you’ve taken your tablet for the day. Unlike a lot of the other choices, iOSAT is also FDA-approved. The pack has a slim profile and is lightweight, so it fits in any survival kit- even bug-out bags or get-home bags. iOSAT potassium iodide tablets are the clear choice to be prepared- just make sure you get yours before the emergency.

Fred does a great job explaining what iOSAT is and how it works:

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If you are looking for something a little cheaper that can still cover your family, skipping the blister packs and going for the pill bottle can save you about half the cost. These pills tend to sell out a little less quickly during emergencies since they are half-dose and labeled ‘for short-term use’ rather than explicitly for radiation emergencies.

This can actually work in your favor: not just because they are cheap and available closer to emergencies, but also because the lower dose can give you more versatile dosing options for people who may not need the whole 130 mg dose for their thyroid. Beyond just considering budget, the Best Naturals potassium iodide tablets are an ideal choice with the only drawback being the missing convenience of a blister pack.

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Using crystal powder for potassium iodide dosage takes some know-how to be safe and effective, but can add some versatility to your survival kit. You can create iodine solutions, like SSKI (Ludol’s, etc.), or combine it with hydrogen peroxide and dish soap to make ‘elephant’s toothpaste’- a fun way to keep kids entertained.

AZ Laboratories potassium iodide crystals are certainly not the easiest option, but its versatility keeps it in contention. You don’t want to be fumbling around with powder in an emergency, so if you go this route, you need to do the research and dose out your radiation emergency iodine ahead of time.

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Everything We Recommend

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The Iodine Tablets We Compared

Our research narrowed the field down to the several iodine tablets that we tested: iOSAT, ThyroSafe, AZ Laboratories, Best Naturals, Life Extension, Vitamatic, Thyro-Tabs, and more.

There are a lot of brands that make potassium iodide tablets but only a few of them are designed with dosage for emergency use. Many are designed for thyroid care, and not as a preventative for thyroid radiation exposure.

We also steered clear of veterinary options (like Thyro-Tabs). These options did present a wide range of dosage options since they are designed for small house pets all the way to large zoological animals. They are certainly not looked at by regulatory agencies, like the FDA so we’d certainly caution people here. Iodine tablets are fairly straightforward after that- there are only a few more things to consider before you stock up for your radiation emergency specialized kit.

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What to Look For

1. Value
2. Dosage
3. Quality
4. Packaging
5. Versatility

The best iodine tablets have several important features to look for:

When you get the right blend of these, you can find dependable iodine tablets that will help you keep your thyroid protected as you navigate through a radiation emergency. Below, we break down what each of these features means for a rock-solid iodine tablet:

Value: Cost vs. Benefit

The amount of money you can spend on iodine tablets shouldn’t blow out your budget. There are plenty of expensive radiation-specific tools and equipment, but iodine tablets are not one of them. Because they are affordable, it makes grabbing some for even the remotest chance that you will need them makes sense.

You also don’t need a massive amount of these in bulk. At the very most, you will be taking 14 doses and you’ll know when you need them. Radiation-preventative iodine doses are not meant to be taken speculatively, and can even cause more harm than good if you take too many high-dose iodine tablets.

You never want to spend too much money on one resource, especially something like iodine tablets. It’s better to diversify your preparedness gear and make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios. There is a sweet spot where you get high value out of the best features with not too high of a price, which is where our top pick sits.

Dosage

For a human adult, 130 mg of potassium iodide is the consensus dosage amount for short-term emergency use. Higher-dose tablets would need to be split, and lower-dose tablets would need more tablets to be effective. Lower doses can provide some versatility in dosage amounts. Don’t overdo it on the dose- your thyroid can only absorb so much iodine. Also, stick to the prescribed dose days, as overloading your thyroid for extended periods causes more harm than good.

For comparison, people who take potassium iodide for maintenance of their thyroid usually stick below 12.5 mg/day or 10% of this emergency dose. Before putting anything into your body, always check with your doctor. Severe reactions and allergies can also present themselves when taking large doses of potassium iodide.

Quality

USP, FDA approval, and other certifications are good indicators of high-quality iodine tablets. Proven brands and a track record of actual usage can give us insight into the quality of tablets as well. You don’t want fillers, and you especially don’t want toxic substances in your tablets.

Packaging

The blister pack is a marvel- the plastic bubble packaging with a thin metallic film on the back that you push pills through. I’m sure you’re familiar with it- its uses extend beyond medicine these days. It makes getting to your tablet and keeping track of your tablet progress much easier. Plastic pill bottles are a little cheaper, surprisingly, and they can usually hold more tablets and leave you with a reusable container when you are done. Lastly, there are suspended liquid bottles out there which is the least versatile packing method for potassium iodide.

Versatility

Versatility, in this case, simply means that we can use tablets (or powder) and packaging for more than the main function of radiation protection.

When you build out any sort of survival or emergency kit, you always keep an eye out for versatile items or gear. Versatility can help you be more prepared for a wider range of emergencies. For instance, if a huge disaster happens and there is no threat of radiation, it may be nice to use our iodine tablets or power for say, water purification. You may be able to figure this new challenge out with powder than a tablet.

Also, when you use up your iOSAT packaging, you are left with trash. If you use up the tablets in a bottle, you end up with a small reusable container. If you stuffed a piece of cotton inside to reduce rattling, you also have a spare piece of tinder now. Versatility, don’t leave home without it!

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How to Use Iodine Tablets

Iodine tablets are extremely easy to use. First off- as we mentioned before, you are supposed to hold off taking the doses until emergency officials tell you to. Once they do:

• Adults take one dose of 130mg of potassium iodide per day for fourteen days.
• Children who are 3-18 and weigh less than 150 pounds take a half dose (65mg).
• Children 1 month to 3 years take a quarter dose (32.5mg).
• Infants up to one month old take an eighth dose (16.25mg).

Consult a vet if you are concerned about pets. It’s usually not advised to give doses to household animals given their short lifespans and how long symptoms of thyroid radiation exposure may take to develop.

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Potassium Iodide FAQs

Since it’s not an everyday item, potassium iodide is usually met with plenty of questions. For specific medical questions, you’ll want to consult a medical professional (which we are not).

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Who Needs Iodine Tablets?

If you live close to a nuclear facility, iodine tablets are very important to have on hand. Many of those facilities distribute iodine tablets to nearby residents and those who live downwind according to nuclear fallout projections assuming prevailing winds. They are less important for everyone else, especially if you live in a rural area- but with such a low cost and very little to be used as a substitute- we still recommend pretty much everyone getting at least one dose in their survival kit.

Iodine tablets are an essential part of:

Iodine tablets are important enough to be considered for these kits:

We don’t consider them a great addition to Everyday Carry (EDC) kits due to their very specific functionality, but that could change based on our ever-changing threats in this world.

When a radiation emergency comes your way, spending $10 – $20 to protect yourself will seem like one of the best investments you ever made.

Sources and References

All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best iodine tablets is useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical military and prepping experience:

Schlien, B., et al. (1983). Recommendations on the use of potassium iodide as a thyroid-blocking agent in radiation accidents: an FDA update. Bull NY Acad Med. Volume 59, Issue 10. Pages 1009-1019. (Source).

Sicherer, S. (2004). Risk of severe allergic reactions from the use of potassium iodide for radiation emergencies. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Volume 114, Issue 6. Pages 1395-1397. (Source).

Zanzonico, P. et al. (1993). Use of Potassium Iodide to Minimize Thyroid Radiation from Radioactive Fall-Out. Iodine Deficiency in Europe. Volume 241. Pages 243-258 (Source).

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The Final Word

Iodine tablets have been around for a while and now come in several varieties. They are very effective at protecting your thyroid if you take them prior to radiation exposure. That is just your thyroid though, so you’ll need more to protect the rest of your body.

To go along with iodine tablets, you’ll need other radiation protection and detection tools. We suggest looking into:

We presented quite a lot of information, but as always: if you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help. Our research and testing found that the iOSAT Tablets are the best option given the value, dosage, quality, packaging, and versatility. If you take our suggestion and grab one of our iodine tablet picks- make sure you get familiar with when and how to take them. You don’t want to start popping them like candy, the CDC acknowledges that they can be harmful although necessary in an emergency.

It’s always a good idea to get learned up on your resources before emergencies.

Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.

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