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Certain forms of iodine help your thyroid
gland work right. Most people get the iodine
they need from foods like iodized salt or
fish. The thyroid can "store"
or hold only a certain amount of iodine.
In a radiation emergency, radioactive iodine
may be released in the air. This material
may be breathed or swallowed or ingested
with food and drinks. It may enter the thyroid
gland and damage it. The damage would probably
not show itself for years. Children are
most likely to have thyroid damage. If you
take Potassium Iodide, it will fill up your
thyroid gland and block the uptake of dangerous
radioactive iodine. This greatly reduces
the chance that harmful radioactive iodine
will enter the thyroid gland, potentially
causing thyroid cancer in the long term.
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