Potassium Iodide (anti-radiation medicine) - help needed buying.....

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Stu77000

Super Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Mar 13, 2022
Messages
31
Location
Down South
My first post!

Anyway, so I need to buy some Potassium Iodide for about 15 people and the regular pills are just too expensive in my country.

For those that don't know what Potassium Iodide is used for - it is used in the instance where exposure to radiation is going to occur, ie. nuclear explosion, nuclear plant accident, etc.
Instead of your thyroid absorbing radioactive iodine, you take 130mg of safe Potassium Iodide every 24 hours which means the thyroid cannot absorb any radioactive iodine.

I came across this product on Ebay which got me thinking that I could just buy Potassium Iodide from a chemical manufacturer instead of buying the pills. I might have bought the product below but I still have to pay for shipping, taxes and our postal system is a complete mess and it might not even reach me.
100 Grams Potassium Iodide Crystal Powder

These pills are what one usually buys but they are quite expensive and to buy for 15 people would break the bank in my country.
Potassium Iodide Tablets, 130mg

So my question is can I buy something like this:
Potassium Iodide AR-500g
or this Potassium lodide 250g AR

The grade of Potassium Iodide I can get is Analytical Reagent which is high purity, up to 99.8% - 99.9%
Here is an explanation of the various grades - A Guide to Chemicals and Chemical Grades

If I buy the above I could just measure out the recommended 130mg and use that instead of buying an actual product from a company that is way more expensive?

The first product I linked to seems to be just plain old potassium iodide powder that you measure out yourself, which is what I want to buy as it's way cheaper.

Thanks
 
Try Amazon? I got some cheaply about a month ago. Just checked and looked like they still had some...Secondary sellers can send anywhere I believe?
 
Try Amazon? I got some cheaply about a month ago. Just checked and looked like they still had some...Secondary sellers can send anywhere I believe?

I'm looking for the powder though, not the pills, like in my first link. It just goes so much further and is so much cheaper when you need for 15 people. I did search Amazon, will do so again.
 
Just checked Amazon and from what I could see there is not much in stock and those that are, once converting to Rands would kill my budget. So much cheaper in SA. Remember $1 = R15........

I guess what I'm asking is whether the Analytical Reagent grade is good enough to buy for consumption.......
 
I guess what I'm asking is whether the Analytical Reagent grade is good enough to buy for consumption.......

I'm afraid I am not confident in answering that. Perhaps there are some others here who are. Best of luck in your search!
 
If it's all you have , I think risk v/s results would more than justify it . But I'll ask a pharmacist. Sorry ,I'm not much help. But , I would go with it

Yeah that's what I was leaning toward. I mean 99.9% purity is pretty close.....
I did buy some Lugol's Iodine but not much, so need to stock up on something more substantial.
 
I'd stick to the recommended liquid dosing in lu of having the KI pills available ....

https://drsircus.com/iodine/iodine-treatments-radiation-exposure/



Lugol's Iodine dosage
renderTimingPixel.png

Like many others in Europe, I've missed the opportunity to purchase iodine tablets to protect against a possible nuclear radiation event such as a reactor meltdown or nuclear weapon eployment in Ukraine. This post isn't meant to stir fear or panic, I think both events are unlikely. It's meant to explain how Lugol's Iodine solution is an alternative to tablets. It's more readily available than tablets but I'm not sure how long that will last. I read that oral administration of this iodine solution is possible but I wasn’t satisfied with the explanations and calculations that were available online. I am not a doctor but I am a pharmaceutical scientist so I’d like to think I know my way around molecules. As a parent, I would've liked to have this information available to me so I hope this helps someone.
Lugol's Iodine or Strong Iodine Solution generally contains 5% (w/v) of iodine. However, iodine is also present in this solution as potassium iodine, which is generally 10% (w/v). This means that per L of Lugol's there is:

5% or 50 g L-1 of iodine

10% or 100 g L-1 of potassium iodine (KI)

The iodine in KI has a mass percentage of 76.45% (MW K: 39.10 g/mol; MW I 126.90 g/mol) so that means:

50 g L-1 of “free” iodine

76.4 g L-1 of iodine from KI.

A drop is standardised as 50 µL(0.05 mL), that means that each drop contains 6.3 mg of iodine.

Suggested dosages (sauce) are as follows:

· Adults or teenagers approaching adult weight (greater than 70 kg or 154 lbs of body weight)—130 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists.130 mg ~ 20 drops daily

· Children through 1 month of age—16 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists. 16 mg ~ 2.5 drops daily

· Children over 1 month through 3 years of age—32 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists.32 mg ~ 5 drops daily

· Children and teenagers over 3 years through 18 years of age (less than 70 kg or 154 lbs of body weight) —65 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists. 65 mg ~ 10 drops daily

A bottle of 100 mL costs about €30 and would offer enough iodine for 100 days for 1 adult. I don’t think you should be using such high doses for that long because of toxicity or thyroid dysfunction, it’s just an indication for how long 1 bottle will last. Best to take it by dissolving the drops in a glass of water or milk to prevent local overexposure and masking the taste.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was told (I'm no expert) that the actual dose of iodine in 130mg KI is actually only 100 mg of Iodine, so I did some rough math based on that.
Doses:
2% Iodine tincture: About 65 drops = 100 mg
2.2 Lugol's: About 40 drops
5% Lugol's: About 16 drops.

100 g / 130 g KI is roughly the same as 75 g / 100 g KI so that math checks out . The mass percentage is the same
 
Thank you Illini Warrior, much appreciated.
I have 200ml of Lugol's Iodine, so maybe I should just buy more of that....

The only thing about Lugol's Iodine is that I was worried about overdosing as you mentioned.
 
Thought this was relevant to the topic, and explains why I was having problems finding in stock KI stuff on Amazon and elsewhere.


Anti-Radiation Pills, Survival Food Selling Out in US Amid Panic Buying

Anti-radiation pills and survival food is selling out in the United States amid panic buying in response to the potential for the war in Ukraine to escalate to a nuclear conflict.

Manufacturers in the US are reporting depleted inventories of potassium iodide tablets, with IOSAT having sold out of its 14 pack boxes which ordinarily sell for $13.99 on their website.

Demand is so intense that the same box of pills is now selling for around $149 dollars on eBay.

Four boxes of Thyrosafe potassium iodide tablets were also selling for $132.50, while another listing featured a box of IOSAT 130 mg pills costing $89.95 each.

More

https://www.infowars.com/posts/anti...val-food-selling-out-in-us-amid-panic-buying/
 
Thought this was relevant to the topic, and explains why I was having problems finding in stock KI stuff on Amazon and elsewhere.


Anti-Radiation Pills, Survival Food Selling Out in US Amid Panic Buying

Anti-radiation pills and survival food is selling out in the United States amid panic buying in response to the potential for the war in Ukraine to escalate to a nuclear conflict.

Manufacturers in the US are reporting depleted inventories of potassium iodide tablets, with IOSAT having sold out of its 14 pack boxes which ordinarily sell for $13.99 on their website.

Demand is so intense that the same box of pills is now selling for around $149 dollars on eBay.

Four boxes of Thyrosafe potassium iodide tablets were also selling for $132.50, while another listing featured a box of IOSAT 130 mg pills costing $89.95 each.

More

https://www.infowars.com/posts/anti...val-food-selling-out-in-us-amid-panic-buying/

The silver lining in it is that people might be finally getting their heads out of their posteriors and realizing being a "crazy prepper" isn't so crazy after all!
 
I am sure glad I have a 40lb box of potassium hydroxide and a whole pound of elemental iodine.
3 I2 + 6 KOH(hot saturated solution) = KIO3 + 5 KI + 3 H2O ~ and thankfully the iodate is a safe alternative to the iodide for this purpose so there is no need to isolate the KI :)
 
I'd stick to the recommended liquid dosing in lu of having the KI pills available ....

https://drsircus.com/iodine/iodine-treatments-radiation-exposure/



Lugol's Iodine dosage
renderTimingPixel.png

Like many others in Europe, I've missed the opportunity to purchase iodine tablets to protect against a possible nuclear radiation event such as a reactor meltdown or nuclear weapon eployment in Ukraine. This post isn't meant to stir fear or panic, I think both events are unlikely. It's meant to explain how Lugol's Iodine solution is an alternative to tablets. It's more readily available than tablets but I'm not sure how long that will last. I read that oral administration of this iodine solution is possible but I wasn’t satisfied with the explanations and calculations that were available online. I am not a doctor but I am a pharmaceutical scientist so I’d like to think I know my way around molecules. As a parent, I would've liked to have this information available to me so I hope this helps someone.
Lugol's Iodine or Strong Iodine Solution generally contains 5% (w/v) of iodine. However, iodine is also present in this solution as potassium iodine, which is generally 10% (w/v). This means that per L of Lugol's there is:

5% or 50 g L-1 of iodine

10% or 100 g L-1 of potassium iodine (KI)

The iodine in KI has a mass percentage of 76.45% (MW K: 39.10 g/mol; MW I 126.90 g/mol) so that means:

50 g L-1 of “free” iodine

76.4 g L-1 of iodine from KI.

A drop is standardised as 50 µL(0.05 mL), that means that each drop contains 6.3 mg of iodine.

Suggested dosages (sauce) are as follows:

· Adults or teenagers approaching adult weight (greater than 70 kg or 154 lbs of body weight)—130 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists.130 mg ~ 20 drops daily

· Children through 1 month of age—16 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists. 16 mg ~ 2.5 drops daily

· Children over 1 month through 3 years of age—32 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists.32 mg ~ 5 drops daily

· Children and teenagers over 3 years through 18 years of age (less than 70 kg or 154 lbs of body weight) —65 mg once a day, until significant risk of exposure to radioiodines no longer exists. 65 mg ~ 10 drops daily

A bottle of 100 mL costs about €30 and would offer enough iodine for 100 days for 1 adult. I don’t think you should be using such high doses for that long because of toxicity or thyroid dysfunction, it’s just an indication for how long 1 bottle will last. Best to take it by dissolving the drops in a glass of water or milk to prevent local overexposure and masking the taste.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was told (I'm no expert) that the actual dose of iodine in 130mg KI is actually only 100 mg of Iodine, so I did some rough math based on that.
Doses:
2% Iodine tincture: About 65 drops = 100 mg
2.2 Lugol's: About 40 drops
5% Lugol's: About 16 drops.

100 g / 130 g KI is roughly the same as 75 g / 100 g KI so that math checks out . The mass percentage is the same

Regarding the 2% iodine tincture, it should be mentioned that it contains just about as much elemental iodine ( I2 ) as it has iodide salt ( NaI ). Elemental iodine is toxic when ingested. The lethal dose for an average sized person is roughly the same quantity that is in a 100mL bottle. With a little over 2,000 drops per bottle, that 65 drops probably won't hurt you, but it might hurt the beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Have people used tincture for this before???

I just made 100g batch of KI. I have a way to go though. Right now it is cooling so I can filter off most of the iodate. Then, I have to boil a little water off and repeat. Once I get 30g salt out (to get the less soluble 28g iodate), I know the rest will be the iodide. Then, I can boil it further until that starts falling out, then I know I'll have SSKI. Should be about 1,050 doses in the end. I plan to bottle it under argon so atmospheric CO2 don't destroy it when opening the bottle and pass out vials to the family with instructions.
 
Thought this was relevant to the topic, and explains why I was having problems finding in stock KI stuff on Amazon and elsewhere.


Anti-Radiation Pills, Survival Food Selling Out in US Amid Panic Buying

Anti-radiation pills and survival food is selling out in the United States amid panic buying in response to the potential for the war in Ukraine to escalate to a nuclear conflict.

Manufacturers in the US are reporting depleted inventories of potassium iodide tablets, with IOSAT having sold out of its 14 pack boxes which ordinarily sell for $13.99 on their website.

Demand is so intense that the same box of pills is now selling for around $149 dollars on eBay.

Four boxes of Thyrosafe potassium iodide tablets were also selling for $132.50, while another listing featured a box of IOSAT 130 mg pills costing $89.95 each.

More

https://www.infowars.com/posts/anti...val-food-selling-out-in-us-amid-panic-buying/

I had trouble finding Iosat 130mg. Pills Last week..amazon and several others sites sold out. I found them on emergencykits.com on back order and ordered 8 packs ...I think it was 14.99 pack (reduced from 16.99) for 14 pill pack..supposed to be here mid to end of April.
 
Humm...I actually checked life extension also, and last week at least the 130mg...after I added to cart when I went to check out it showed a message out of stock with no estimated date when it would be back in stock
 
Humm...I actually checked life extension also, and last week at least the 130mg...after I added to cart when I went to check out it showed a message out of stock with no estimated date when it would be back in stock
Just ordered. In stock on 4/6/22
 
Regarding the 2% iodine tincture, it should be mentioned that it contains just about as much elemental iodine ( I2 ) as it has iodide salt ( NaI ). Elemental iodine is toxic when ingested. The lethal dose for an average sized person is roughly the same quantity that is in a 100mL bottle. With a little over 2,000 drops per bottle, that 65 drops probably won't hurt you, but it might hurt the beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Have people used tincture for this before???

I just made 100g batch of KI. I have a way to go though. Right now it is cooling so I can filter off most of the iodate. Then, I have to boil a little water off and repeat. Once I get 30g salt out (to get the less soluble 28g iodate), I know the rest will be the iodide. Then, I can boil it further until that starts falling out, then I know I'll have SSKI. Should be about 1,050 doses in the end. I plan to bottle it under argon so atmospheric CO2 don't destroy it when opening the bottle and pass out vials to the family with instructions.

Didn't follow some of that.... but it sounds like you are prepared!
 
Humm...I actually checked life extension also, and last week at least the 130mg...after I added to cart when I went to check out it showed a message out of stock with no estimated date when it would be back in stock

They will be in shortly as radiogoon pointed out. I have bought them some weeks ago so did not notice the back over status. This is a good supplier. Never had a problem with them. They even have the b@lls to carry NAC after everyone else stopped because of pressure from the Feds.
 
They will be in shortly as radiogoon pointed out. I have bought them some weeks ago so did not notice the back over status. This is a good supplier. Never had a problem with them. They even have the b@lls to carry NAC after everyone else stopped because of pressure from the Feds.

Yes, I agree. Have bought supps. from them for years and I also Order products for my mother from them also.
 
I am still waiting on my iosat order I placed back in March. Every time I call they say extreme back order, stating they have shipped thousands since May 9th and will be shipping thousand's more, but orders are on first come, first serve basis. No idea where I was in line for orders back in March..but dang! Good thing it's not an emergency!
 
interesting article in the last couple days - really a last chance & desperation DIY radiation solution - using black walnuts for an iodine tincture >>>>

https://www.askaprepper.com/how-to-make-an-iodine-rich-black-walnut-tincture/

"Despite its negative qualities, black walnut has long been valued by herbalists for the potent medicine it can provide. Those nasty fall nuts are naturally rich in iodine, which you can easily extract in a tincture. You can use this iodine tincture for many things, including preventing radiation poisoning.

The situation in Eastern Europe is heating up, and it is important we prepare for the worst. As the threat of nuclear war increases, iodine is increasingly on our minds."
 
I recently finished boiling down my homemade potassium iodide and removing the iodate. What I though (and said here) would be an easy process ended up being a real pain in the butt and a huge mess. I hope I don't have to repeat that process any time soon! Now I just need to get an amber bottle for it so I don't have to hide it from the sunlight in my desk drawer.
 

Attachments

  • sski.jpg
    sski.jpg
    901.7 KB
...btw, prilled iodine is still available on ebay for $60/half pound for anyone desperate enough to make it themselves.
 
I recently finished boiling down my homemade potassium iodide and removing the iodate. What I though (and said here) would be an easy process ended up being a real pain in the butt and a huge mess. I hope I don't have to repeat that process any time soon! Now I just need to get an amber bottle for it so I don't have to hide it from the sunlight in my desk drawer.

https://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=102_31
good source for anything the home chemist might ever need
 
Those nasty fall nuts are naturally rich in iodine, which you can easily extract in a tincture. You can use this iodine tincture for many things, including preventing radiation poisoning.
"Nasty fall nuts"??
I guess they never had black walnut ice cream. Or maybe they are just talking about the outer hull.
 
Back
Top