First of all, it is worth understanding the difference between a radioactive element and radioactive radiation.
A radioactive element is a chemical element that is capable of decaying into another chemical element. It emits radioactive radiation when it does so.
It is radioactive radiation that does the damage. But we are well protected from it by our skin (not from all radiation, but from a large part of it). It is quite a different situation when, for example, a dust particle consisting of radioactive elements gets inside the body and decays there. First of all, it is like being in a radiation zone for much longer. Second, the inside of the body is not as protected as the skin, and the radioactive radiation will cause more damage.
This is why people wear gowns and masks when they are in places contaminated with radioactive elements. Thin fabrics cannot protect against radioactive radiation – you need a thick lead to fully neutralize it, and even lead cannot protect against some studies. But a cloth mask prevents Radioactive Dust from entering your body, and a robe prevents it from accumulating on your clothes and causing harm for a long time – unless, of course, you continue to walk around in a contaminated robe in your daily life.
Iodine does not protect against radioactive radiation at all – it cannot neutralize it. But iodine protects against radioactive elements entering the body. To be more precise, not even from all elements, but only from radioactive iodine.
The thyroid gland stores iodine in order to synthesize hormones, of which iodine is an important part. Accordingly, if radioactive iodine enters the body, it will accumulate it in the same way.
And once in the thyroid cells, radioactive iodine decays and the radioactive radiation damages the thyroid cells. This, by the way, is sometimes used for good, when you need to kill thyroid cells – for thyroid cancer (but do not self-medicate, without a doctor you will not be able to determine when the benefits exceed the harm).
And so that Radioactive Iodine can not accumulate in the thyroid gland, drink regular iodine – so that it fills all the reserves to the brim. In this case, Radioactive Iodine, once in the body, can not accumulate, but is eliminated from the body, causing much less harm.
That is, it is absolutely useless to take iodine when you are dealing with any other radioactive element. And also in cases where you have already been exposed to radioactive iodine. Usually the government warns the public when there is a release of radioactive iodine.
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