Story: Panicked Chinese mistakenly hoarding iodized salt

But that hasn’t stopped Americans from rushing to buy the non-prescription drug that protects the thyroid gland from exposure to radioactive iodine. All three manufacturers and suppliers of federally approved potassium iodide in the United States sold out of the drug earlier this week. New supplies won’t be available until mid-April, said Alan Morris, president of Anbex, Inc., which makes IOSAT 130-milligram tablets.
The drug works by filling the thyroid gland with potassium iodide, which leaves no room for the radioactive iodine, which can cause cancer. It does not protect against other effects of radiation exposure.
But even if radiation were to reach the U.S., potassium iodide should only be taken in the event of actual exposure or the threat of immediate exposure, not as a preventive measure, Wartofsky said.