Amid war in Ukraine, some New Yorkers fear nuclear holocaust and stock up on iodine

Against the background of the war in Ukraine and reports of battles around Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs), New Yorkers are buying up radiation pills - such messages began to appear on social networks. film crew Denis Cheredov's project "On duty in New York" I decided to conduct an experiment and check whether iodine tablets and even liquid iodine had really disappeared from New York pharmacies.

In one of the pharmacies on Brighton Beach - iodine tablets are no longer available. Allegedly, the medicine was dismantled by buyers who were frightened by the recent order of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the transfer to a special mode of service of the Russian defense forces, which include, among other things, the country's nuclear arsenal. However, the absence of iodine tablets in one pharmacy is the exception rather than the rule in Brighton Beach.

“Never came to me with a prescription for something like that. But I think Russian pharmacies across the street have enough of this stuff,” says pharmacist Zar Kamkezhi.

The NYC Watch crew checked out about a dozen pharmacies on Brighton Beach. And, according to the employees, there are still plenty of iodine in tablets.

“He is in the range - “Jodomarin”, “Epilak”, - said one of the pharmacy employees.

The film crew found several types of drugs from several manufacturers at once, so there are no problems with iodine in New York pharmacies yet.

Preparations with a high iodine content are commonly used to prevent radiation sickness in the event of radiation contamination. Back in December 2001, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that in the event of a radiation emergency, people should take a drug that will help protect them from thyroid cancer, potassium iodide. By the way, Ukrainian doctors also advised him - after the capture of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant by the Russian military, as well as after the battles near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant - the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

“It helps to concentrate the “good” iodine in the thyroid gland and thus protects it from potential cancers,” said Igor Gorsky, an international pharmaceutical technology consultant.

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Residents of Brighton Beach do not line up for iodine tablets - they are sure that in this area you can find the right medicine if you wish.

"No, I don't need anything. There are plenty of pharmacies here, $2-$3,” the man says.

“I heard it on the radio, yes. But I don’t think about buying iodine yet,” says Katerina, a resident of Brighton.

The New York City Attendant also went to see if there was iodine in Manhattan.

In popular pharmacy chains CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, they sell ordinary iodine - liquid. On the shelves you can find 5 different bottles from different companies. Pharmacists do not even order iodine tablets.

“We don’t have that here – I looked – you can easily buy it on Amazon. Maybe iodine as a dietary supplement is sold in the vitamins section – let's look there,” says pharmacist Nita.

But in the department with vitamins, there were no iodine tablets either. According to experts, in New York, such tablets can indeed be purchased in the department with bioadditives - but there is no demand for it yet.

“There are pills, they can be ordered. There are no problems here, and since these are biological supplements, the enterprises that make them are not required to receive certification from the FDA. But there are also several enterprises that have received such permission. And these pills are not available, not because they were sold out, but because there is no demand for them,” says Gorsky.

However, some New Yorkers do not believe that iodine tablets - in the event of a nuclear threat - will be enough for everyone. The authorities advise anyone who gives in to panic to consult a doctor.

The New York City Department of Health reminds that iodine should only be taken after an official notification of the authorities about the danger, taking it just like that as a preventive measure is dangerous to health.

Read the most interesting news of the city in telegram channel of Denis Cheredov, the author of the New York Duty project.