The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday urged the public not to take potassium iodide (KI) pills without doctors’ instructions, as the nation is currently not under threat of over-exposure to radiation from Japan and the pills could cause side effects.
Since a series of explosions and fears of meltdowns rocked Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the country has been under heightened alert to detect whether radiation levels are normal.
Worries that radioactive dust from Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture could be blown to Taiwan has prompted some people to prepare iodine pills or tablets, which contain potassium iodide and can protect the thyroid gland from harmful effects after exposure to radiation.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
However, the department’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday urged the public not to panic, because the country is not currently under threat from radiation levels that would pose problems to health.
Health officials said that consumption of iodine pills without a doctor’s prescription or when not under a state of radiation emergency is not only unnecessary, but could also put one at risk of possible side effects from the tablet. These side effects include skin rashes, swollen salivary glands, a metallic taste in the mouth, a sense of burning in the mouth and throat, soreness in the teeth and gums, stomach discomfort and diarrhea.
The DOH said that even if the country were under threat of radiation exposure, the DOH said the public should not worry about supply shortages as there was a stockpile of imported KI pills sufficient for 130,000 people and the DOH can issue temporary production licenses to local pharmaceutical companies to meet domestic demand during emergencies.
It is illegal to purchase KI pills over the Internet and they can only be distributed through government authorities, an FDA division director said, adding that interministerial meetings and evaluations must take place before the decision is made to provide the public with KI.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS