Many people are currently visiting pharmacies in Luxembourg to try to obtain iodine tablets, despite the fact that pharmacies do not have them in stock, as the president of the pharmacists' union confirmed to our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes.

"In recent days, many people have tried to obtain potassium iodine tablets in pharmacies and in the communes," the government reported in a statement on Wednesday.
 
The reason is obviously "the conflict in Ukraine", reports Alain de Bourcy, president of the Luxembourg pharmacists' union, contacted by our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes. While it would be exaggerated to talk about panic buying, there is a significant demand for these tablets, he explains. People generally appear to be worried that the conflict may lead to a nuclear accident, or that a bomb might strike Chernobyl. For this reason, some people want to buy iodine tablets (which have an effect against some of the effects of nuclear irradiation, see below) as a preventive measure.
 
However, these customers usually leave the pharmacies empty handed because pharmacists do not have them in stock, De Bourcy points out. He explains that iodine tablets are "not drugs that pharmacies can buy from wholesalers". In fact, they are "a special production, with special packaging, because they are normally distributed by the Ministry of Health". According to De Bourcy, the Ministry last distributed these tablets almost ten years ago.
 
In addition, those who already have tablets can keep them, because "they are very stable, they can be stored for several years without any problems, so there is no reason to distribute them every year".

Statement by the health authorities

The National Health Directorate has issued a statement to remind citizens that there is no point in taking these tablets. The statement recalls that "the ingestion of potassium iodide tablets is exclusively reserved for the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant and on the instructions of the authorities".
 
"Taken at the right time, the tablets can reduce or prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine-131 emitted by the damaged plant (Editor's note: Taking potassium iodide tablets is a particularly effective measure to protect the thyroid in general and that of children and adolescents in particular. Excessive exposure to radioactive iodine can cause thyroid cancer)."
 
The statement goes on to say that such a protective measure "may be necessary depending on the severity of the accident and the weather conditions up to distances of a few tens of kilometres".
 
In addition, the health authorities point out that "for other scenarios, either at greater distances or involving other types of facilities, taking potassium iodide tablets does not offer protection."
 
More information is available at: www.infocrise.lu