Potassium iodate?

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Can anyone tell me more about potassium iodate, particularly where to obtain it?

-- Wannabe (prepared@at home.com), March 26, 1999

Answers

First off you are probably looking for "Potassium IodIDE" which is the chemical which prevents the thyroid from uptaking the radioisotope of iodine created in nuclear reactions.

Try searching on the new spelling and you should have some success on sources.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (reinzoo@en.com), March 26, 1999.


potassium iodate?

Here is a source for potassium iodide



-- Debbie (
dbspence@usa.net), March 26, 1999.


Make that http://www.anbex.com

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 26, 1999.

Sorry, I copied that off another link, had never heard of it. Thanks for the information! Is there anything else you suggest other than that and a bomb shelter? Has anyone else read Chris Ruddy's articles from Newsmax.com?

-- wannabe (prepared@athome.com), March 26, 1999.

wannabe,

This is a link that will tell you everything you need to know to be prepared for that thing I don't want to mention.

Cresson Kearny's Nuclear War Survival Skills



-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), March 26, 1999.



The iodate is supposed to taste less foul than the iodide, However, I've never seen any dosage recommendations for the iodate so I'ld stick to the iodide, reagent grade is available at any major chemical supply house.

Cresson Kearney's NWSS is the single best book you can find on surviving a nuclear war without much money and with great security. Also read my articles at my website http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger for good simplified concepts on the subject.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), March 26, 1999.


The following is from "A Sense Of Survival", by J. Allen South, pp. 42-43:

"These dosages (ones recommended by Cressey in Nuclear War Survival Skills) may be approximated by using a saturated solution of potassium iodide, which may be made by filling a small bottle about 60% full of potassium iodide crystals and then filling it to about 90% full with clean water. Some of the crystals should remain undissolved at the bottom. With a standard-size household medicine dropper the above-recommended adult dosage is contained in approximately four drops. The infant dose is approximately two drops. The solution is bitter but may be mixed with food and drink to avoid the unpleasant taste."

To which I would add that you must be sure that you NEVER ingest iodine crystals, since they will do you great harm interally.

As with anything of this nature, this information is presented solely for your consideration. Taking iodine in any form can be dangerous. Ascretain the suitability of this method for yourself before using.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 27, 1999.


Thank you for the cautions, it is much appreciated.

Given a choice of potassium iodide free flowing, or potassium iodide granular (from a chemical supplier), which would be better to order? By the "crystals" do you mean anything that is undissolved in the bottom after making the solution?

What do these various grades mean? (ACS, Lab, Reagent)

I am not a chemist "nor do I play one on TV". Am beginning to think it is safer to order the tablets, and skip the bulk even if the dose is only $.02 per.

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 27, 1999.


Debbie, all the info I have is what I quoted. Personally, I have tablets, but also have a bottle of saturated iodide solution, the kind used for purifying water and available at camping stores. It has some crystals at the bottom, and I believe it approximates the solution given in the book, which appears to be a simple saturated solution of potasium iodide in water. I'm no chemist, either.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 27, 1999.

Sparks:

I believe the solution you have from the camping store is iodine solution, not iodide. The difference is the same as chlorine (kills bacteria in our water supply) versus chloride (as in table salt) which doesn't.

Iodine is useful for water treatment. Five drops of 2% tincture will treat one liter of water. This is about 7 mg of iodine. In contrast, the dose of potassium iodide recommended for prophylaxis after a nuclear accident is 130 mg, which contains 100 mg of iodine.

To get this much iodine from the tincture, you would have to ingest over 70 drops. This would be severely toxic. And I'm not even sure about the bioavailability of the iodine.

-- Ned Taylor (entaylor@cloudnet.com), March 27, 1999.



What are you trying to do? Build an explosive, or purifiy water for drinking.

What are you going to do with it:

-- (Boilerman7@powerhouse.com), March 27, 1999.


Thanks, Ned! Back to the drawing board, I guess. Much happier that I have the tablets, now.

Boilerman7, what in hell are you talking about explosives?? This thread is about saturating one's thyroid with iodine after a nuclear incident so it doesn't absorb radioactive iodine.

Sheesh.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 27, 1999.


Sparks, Shove it where the sun don't shine.

But the question is?

Read the question Sparks, you dummy.

-- (Boilerman7@powerhouse.com), March 27, 1999.


Ken's link (above) to the book Nuclear War Survival Skills, which is online in full, answered (in Chapter 13) all my current questions about potassium iodide except the one about chemical purity. I think it goes from least to most pure: lab grade, ACS grade, reagent grade; but I'm still trying to find out, expect to call the lab on Monday.

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), March 27, 1999.

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