Putin's nuclear comments lead to rush for iodine in Central Europe
'In the past six days Bulgarian pharmacies have sold as much (iodine) as they sell for a year'
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin's comments that Moscow's nuclear deterrent is on high alert unleashed a wave of anxiety in Central Europe as people rushed to buy iodine, believing it will protect them from radiation.
"In the past six days Bulgarian pharmacies have sold as much (iodine) as they sell for a year," said Nikolay Kostov, chair of the Pharmacies Union, according to Reuters. "Some pharmacies are already out of stock. We have ordered new quantities but I am afraid they will not last very long."
"It's been a bit mad," said Miroslava Stenkova, a representative of Dr. Max pharmacies in the Czech Republic, where some stores had run out of iodine after demand soared.
Iodine is considered a way of protecting the body in case of radioactive exposure, preventing conditions such as thyroid cancer. Back in 2011, Japanese authorities recommended that people around the site of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant take iodine.
Officials in Central Europe cautioned that iodine is not necessary in the current situation and would not help in the case of a nuclear war.
Dana Drabova, head of the Czech State office for Nuclear Safety, wrote on Twitter: "You ask a lot about iodine tablets... as radiation protection when (God forbid) nuclear weapons are used, they are basically useless."