Mysterious government issued tablets

pekitivey

So, when i was about seven or eight I have a very vague memory of my mother receiving some sort of "special tablet" from the "government" in case of "war". I spoke about this to someone recently and they too had a memory of something similar. It was hardly cyanide that was being dolled out, so what were these "special tablets"?

com1

pekitivey wrote: »

So, when i was about seven or eight I have a very vague memory of my mother receiving some sort of "special tablet" from the "government" in case of "war". I spoke about this to someone recently and they too had a memory of something similar. It was hardly cyanide that was being dolled out, so what were these "special tablets"?

Iodine

Cuddlesworth

Iodine. Which went off in a few years. Big waste of money.

DM-BM

iodine in 2001 after 9/11

pekitivey

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Iodine. Which went off in a few years. Big waste of money.

How was it meant to be used?

Sardonicat

pekitivey wrote: »

So, when i was about seven or eight I have a very vague memory of my mother receiving some sort of "special tablet" from the "government" in case of "war". I spoke about this to someone recently and they too had a memory of something similar. It was hardly cyanide that was being dolled out, so what were these "special tablets"?

Iodine tablets. In the event Sellafield was sabotaged/ blew up and the radiation cloud blew this way. Apparently we shouldn't be worried about that anymore as no further tablets have been issued. If it does happen, OP, eat an onion and you'll be grand.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Anti-radiation and nuclear fallout i thought - think it was pre 9/11 though.

zell12

pekitivey wrote: »

How was it meant to be used?

In a special way

pekitivey

Sardonicat wrote: »

Iodine tablets. In the event Sellafield was sabotaged/ blew up and the radiation cloud blew this way. Apparently we shouldn't be worried about that anymore as no further tablets have been issued. If it does happen, OP, eat an onion and you'll be grand.

So take one of them tablets in case of fallout and you'll be grand?

pekitivey

pekitivey wrote: »

So take one of them tablets in case of fallout and you'll be grand?

You'll be bombproof.

news article on the subject for those interested

But to answer your question OP, the iodine protects your organs from nuclear fallout. I think mainly the thyroid.

Sardonicat

pekitivey wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

Iodine tablets. In the event Sellafield was sabotaged/ blew up and the radiation cloud blew this way. Apparently we shouldn't be worried about that anymore as no further tablets have been issued. If it does happen, OP, eat an onion and you'll be grand.

So take one of them tablets in case of fallout and you'll be grand?

They're well gone off by now, so no you wouldn't be grand if you took one now.

Iodine apparently has some useful effect in preventing/ treating radiation sickness. Don't ask me what or how. I'm sure someone who does know will be along in a while to explain. But onions are high in Iodine, so if Sellafield blows I'm eating one.

El Tarangu

They were suppositories, if I remember correctly - I remember my uncle showing me how to take them.

B0jangles

If I remember correctly one of the effects of a nuclear reactor blowing up is the release of radioactive iodine, which would be stored in your thyroid and which would be very bad for you.

If you take iodine pills before you're exposed to the radioactive iodine, the thyroid won't absorb it because it'll already be full of ordinary iodine!

Muscles Schultz

pekitivey wrote: »

How was it meant to be used?

Ram it up your hole til you orgasm

valoren

pekitivey wrote: »

How was it meant to be used?

I think it was something to do with Sellafield nuclear reactor.

Suicidal terrorists were now crashing planes into buildings and should they decide to hit that reactor then the prevailing winds would have carried the nuclear fallout to Ireland and would cause radiation sickness. The tablets were to be taken to mitigate the effects.

BeerFarts

I'm still bitter that I never got a pack. I was destined to die in a nuclear fallout.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

DM-BM wrote: »

iodine in 2001 after 9/11

It was as a result of Chernobyl not 9/11.

El Tarangu

El Tarangu wrote: »

They were suppositories, if I remember correctly - I remember my uncle showing me how to take them.

Son I don’t know how to tell you this..

pekitivey

Did not expect a response this clear! I was convinced it was a dream or cyanide. One of which is more likely than the other.

SEPT 23 1989

Mitsubishi's

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

BeerFarts wrote: »

I'm still bitter that I never got a pack. I was destined to die in a nuclear fallout.

Same here, we never got any. It was amusing that the same number of tablets was sent to each house regardless if the number of occupants and there were no instructions as to dosage.

Sardonicat

Zaid Zealous Schoolmaster wrote: »

DM-BM wrote: »

iodine in 2001 after 9/11

It was as a result of Chernobyl not 9/11.

It took them 15 years to send out the iodine tablets?

pekitivey

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Mitsubishi's

AHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Most people here wont get that I bet.

valoren

Have a look through the drawer at home like the one below. Every house has a drawer like it. I'd bet some still have the tablets in it too.

pekitivey

Zaid Zealous Schoolmaster wrote: »

Same here, we never got any. It was amusing that the same number of tablets was sent to each house regardless if the number of occupants and there were no instructions as to dosage.

Someone above posted a link. that explains dosage etc.

B0jangles

valoren wrote: »

Have a look through the drawer at home like the one below. Every house has a drawer like it. I'd bet some still have the tablets in it too.

I bet that the very instant you feel a cold coming on, all those tissues will vanish.


That is the mysterious power of the Stuff Drawer.

Plumbthedepths

Issued after Chernobyl in the 80's. Idea is iodine protects the thyroid gland from the effects of radiation. The government of the day had to be seen to be doing something in response to the crisis at the time.

B0jangles

B0jangles wrote: »

I bet that the very instant you feel a cold coming on, all those tissues will vanish.


That is the mysterious power of the Stuff Drawer.

Its like when you get a headache and suddenly all your paracetamol is gone. And the chemist is closed. Classic is that.

For Forks Sake

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Issued after Chernobyl in the 80's. Idea is iodine protects the thyroid gland from the effects of radiation. The government of the day had to be seen to be doing something in response to the crisis at the time.

Chernobyl was 1986, the iodine tablets weren't issued until 2002.

Actually now that I've typed that, 16 years is about right for a government decision making timeframe.

pekitivey

Must have cost a fortune to produce and issue all these cyanide tablets then?



Iodine*



Defiantly iodine

B0jangles

Jerry Millions MeteorologyMGS wrote: »

Its like when you get a headache and suddenly all your paracetamol is gone. And the chemist is closed. Classic is that.

Ours has got a stash of old chargers for every model of phone made since about 1980, but never the one you need right now.

Aglomerado

Definitely post September 11th. I still have an unopened packet somewhere, kept it as an artefact!! I have a leaflet from the government somewhere describing what to do in a nuclear emergency. Not the UK one, this has a harp on it.

Having seen 'Threads' however I think cyanide pills would have been better!!!

NickD

They were issued in 2002, as a reaction to 9/11, just so we felt part of it all. Did no-one else take one for the craic?

pekitivey

I'd love to see a pack. If anyone has one and posted a picture it would be...... enjoyable.

FishOnABike

Sardonicat wrote: »

They're well gone off by now, so no you wouldn't be grand if you took one now.

Iodine apparently has some useful effect in preventing/ treating radiation sickness. Don't ask me what or how. I'm sure someone who does know will be along in a while to explain. But onions are high in Iodine, so if Sellafield blows I'm eating one.

I just keep a good stock of fresh dillisk and rotate the stock - well that's my excuse for regularly eating dilisk. Much tastier than raw onions and doesn't leave you with halitosis.

McDermotX

Definitely got a box in tthe 90s.........as usual with the shower that run this country, too late for something that happened and too early for something to come.

NickD

McDermotX wrote: »

Definitely got a box in tthe 90s.........as usual with the shower that run this country, too late for something that happened and too early for something to come.

Maybe they did two lots. I was living on my own in 2002 deff got a pack then

Simple_Simone

I can still remember the wretched Junior Minister for God Knows What, Joe Jacob TD being absolutely filleted by Marian Finnucane on RTE as he tried to reassure the country - and failed with nonchalant ineptness!

'twas vintage, head in hands radio - the nation's laughter as poor Joe kept digging could probably be heard in Wales! I don't think that he ever recovered from that epic performance!

Can't post weblinks here, but these two articles sum it up well!

h t t p s : // w w w . irishtimes.com/news/jacob-joins-the-comedy-greats-with-iodine-tablet-routine-1.329577

h t t p s / w w w . independent.ie /irish-news/jacobs-crisis-plan-took-the-biscuit-with-radio-listeners-26075392.html

Spook_ie

Sardonicat wrote: »

They're well gone off by now, so no you wouldn't be grand if you took one now.

Iodine apparently has some useful effect in preventing/ treating radiation sickness. Don't ask me what or how. I'm sure someone who does know will be along in a while to explain. But onions are high in Iodine, so if Sellafield blows I'm eating one.

Is it safe to take KI tablets with an expired shelf-life?

Yes, potassium iodide tablets are inherently stable and do not lose their effectiveness over time. Manufacturers must label their products with a shelf-life to ensure that consumers purchase safe and useful products.

According to FDA guidance on Shelf-life Extension, studies over many years have confirmed that none of the components of KI tablets, including the active ingredient, has any significant potential for chemical degradation or interaction with other components or with components of the container closure system when stored according to labeled directions. To date, the only observed changes during stability (shelf-life) testing have been the failure of some batches of KI tablets to meet dissolution specifications. Some tablets tested required slightly longer than the specified time to achieve dissolution. Even in the case of a failure of this sort, the product remains usable. In such cases, instructions can be provided to crush the tablets and mix them with a juice or other liquid prior to administration as suggested for emergency pediatric dosing.

https://www.nrc.gov/ reckon you'd be safe to take them.

topper75

Anybody know where I can listen to the Joe Jacob interview today?
I only heard it once when it was originally broadcast and it was radio gold.

There are some excerpts here for our younger listeners:
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/jacobs-crisis-plan-took-the-biscuit-with-radio-listeners-26075392.html

Edit: sorry to cross over you there Simple Simone. Great minds thinking alike? :-) Would really love the audio

fixXxer

Reminds me of this program on RTE

Came home blind drunk to see he news on the TV that Sellafield had gone up and we were all doomed. Took me a while to figure out it was just a tv show!

Melodeon

pekitivey wrote: »

I'd love to see a pack. If anyone has one and posted a picture it would be...... enjoyable.

Here you go:

Simple_Simone

Just found this on the Irish Medical Times website, dated 09 April 2008.:-


"Joe Jacob’s iodine tablets withdrawn

The Minister for Health Mary Harney has decided, ‘on the basis of expert risk management advice’, not to re-issue iodine tablets. During 2002, iodine tablets, intended to be taken in the event of a major nuclear accident that might result in the release of radio-active iodine, were issued to each household — amid claims that many households had in fact not received them.

In 2002, Ireland was the only country to issue iodine tablets. The nation was entertained by Minister Joe Jacob’s appearance on Liveline which many believed to be an impersonator, rather than the actual Minister."

pekitivey

Melodeon wrote: »

Here you go:

Ask and you shall receive! I LOVE BOARDS!

Thanks btw

Sardonicat

Zaid Zealous Schoolmaster wrote: »

DM-BM wrote: »

iodine in 2001 after 9/11

It was as a result of Chernobyl not 9/11.

It took them 15 years to send out the iodine tablets?

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Issued after Chernobyl in the 80's. Idea is iodine protects the thyroid gland from the effects of radiation. The government of the day had to be seen to be doing something in response to the crisis at the time.

They were issued in 2001/02. If they were an attempt "to be seen to be doing something in response to the crisis at the time" of Chernobyl a 15 year reaction time doesn't bode well.

Sardonicat

Spook_ie wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

They're well gone off by now, so no you wouldn't be grand if you took one now.

Iodine apparently has some useful effect in preventing/ treating radiation sickness. Don't ask me what or how. I'm sure someone who does know will be along in a while to explain. But onions are high in Iodine, so if Sellafield blows I'm eating one.

Is it safe to take KI tablets with an expired shelf-life?

Yes, potassium iodide tablets are inherently stable and do not lose their effectiveness over time. Manufacturers must label their products with a shelf-life to ensure that consumers purchase safe and useful products.

According to FDA guidance on Shelf-life Extension, studies over many years have confirmed that none of the components of KI tablets, including the active ingredient, has any significant potential for chemical degradation or interaction with other components or with components of the container closure system when stored according to labeled directions. To date, the only observed changes during stability (shelf-life) testing have been the failure of some batches of KI tablets to meet dissolution specifications. Some tablets tested required slightly longer than the specified time to achieve dissolution. Even in the case of a failure of this sort, the product remains usable. In such cases, instructions can be provided to crush the tablets and mix them with a juice or other liquid prior to administration as suggested for emergency pediatric dosing.

https://www.nrc.gov/ reckon you'd be safe to take them.

Mine started leaking through the package so had to dump them.

ednwireland

You're going to tell me you don't remember millennium candles or trees next.

Sardonicat

FishOnABike wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

They're well gone off by now, so no you wouldn't be grand if you took one now.

Iodine apparently has some useful effect in preventing/ treating radiation sickness. Don't ask me what or how. I'm sure someone who does know will be along in a while to explain. But onions are high in Iodine, so if Sellafield blows I'm eating one.

I just keep a good stock of fresh dillisk and rotate the stock - well that's my excuse for regularly eating dilisk. Much tastier than raw onions and doesn't leave you with halitosis.

Ah, but the halitosis is to ward off those who would raid my under the stairs stash of bottled water and baked beans. And onions.

theguzman

I know people that took the tablets when the received them and were proudly proclaiming they were now immune to radiation.