Maltese pharmacies have registered a slight increase in requests for iodine tablets, among rising fears of nuclear fallout from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The president of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists, Mary Anne Sant Fournier, confirmed with Times of Malta that the chamber had received “sporadic reports of a slight increase in requests for iodine tablet preparations”.
“This slight increase is attributable to fear of the possible threat of nuclear fallout from any damaged nuclear plant facilities or the use of nuclear weapons,” she said.
The chamber was envisaging “further impact” on the availability of other pharmaceuticals, due to predicted disruption in transport logistics and the supply of raw materials.
The trend follows a much more pronounced reaction in Europe after fighting broke out on the site of two of Ukraine’s nuclear plants, Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion on Ukraine.
Euronews reported last week that pharmacies in at least nine EU countries were experiencing a huge surge in demand for the tablets since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the situation not being ideal, international monitors have not reported leaks from nuclear power plants
Belgian pharmacies are distributing them for free to anyone with a Belgian ID card, while demand is jumping in Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Bulgaria, as well as Poland and Romania, who both share a border with Ukraine.
Endocrinologist Stephen Fava told Times of Malta that evidence suggests taking iodine tablets in the event of nuclear fallout may be effective.
Radioactive iodine that is released in the air after a nuclear fallout can be absorbed by the thyroid gland, however, the presence of regular iodine in the system helps to stop the absorption and reduce the risk of developing complications at a later date.
Despite fears, Medical Association of Malta president Martin Balzan said there was no imminent cause for concern.
“For now, despite the situation not being ideal, international monitors have not reported leaks from nuclear power plants, so, at present, there is no cause for alarm,” Balzan said.
In a statement last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said eight of Ukraine’s 15 reactors remained operating, including two at Zaporizhzhia, three at Rivne, one at Khmelnytskyy and two in south Ukraine.
Radiation levels at the four sites were normal, it said.
The agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed alarm about the deteriorating and exhausting conditions for staff at Chernobyl who have not been able to rotate since the day before Russian forces took control late last month.