Seizing on Americans' fears after Japan's radiation crisis, companies are peddling potassium iodide (KI). It's a legitimate medication that has been used to protect workers and citizens by blocking the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine.
But the Federal Trade Commission on Monday warned people not to buy or take the medicine in the absence of a public health advisory to do so.
Only three companies, Iosat, ThyroSafe and ThyroShield, are approved to sell it, so anyone else who tries to may be a scam artist, the FTC said.
Potassium iodide can be dangerous to people with certain conditions. It protects only one part of the body from one radioactive element, so it's hardly a vaccine for nuclear disaster.
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