Belgium has begun giving its 11 million citizens free access to iodine pills in the event of an accident at its ageing nuclear plants, while maintaining that there is no “specific risk”, The Guardian reports.
In the event of a nuclear disaster, iodine pills help reduce radiation build-up in the thyroid gland - the part of the body most sensitive to radiation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Drugmakers paid pharmacy benefit managers to avoid restricting opioid prescriptionsUnder the radar The middlemen and gatekeepers of insurance coverage have been pocketing money in exchange for working with Big Pharma
-
The week's best photosIn Pictures A cyclone's aftermath, a fearless leap, and more
-
The Imaginary Institution of India: a 'compelling' exhibitionThe Week Recommends 'Vibrant' show at the Barbican examines how political upheaval stimulated Indian art
-
Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
-
Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
-
Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the seaIn the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikesSpeed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
-
Cuba's energy crisisThe Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
