As Russia continues to raise the specter of nuclear war in their threats to the West over Ukraine, European countries are updating their guidelines for what citizens should do if the unthinkable happens.

Russia this week officially updated its nuclear doctrine to declare that any aggression against Russia supported by a nuclear-armed state would be considered a joint attack, lowering the bar for the use of nuclear weapons. Then Invasion of Russia 2022 of Ukraine there have also been fears of a nuclear accident, especially when it comes to Zaporizhzhia Power Plant in the southern part of the country, which is under Russian occupation.

Western politicians and intelligence chiefs have been at pains to stress that there is no evidence Vladimir Putin preparing to use nuclear weapons and that Russia’s usual threat is just a hoax aimed at dissuading the West from providing further military support to Ukraine.

However, countries near the Russian border are taking no chances, and some recently updated their advice to citizens in the event of a crisis – nuclear or otherwise.

Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland updated guidelines telling citizens to make sure they have enough long-lasting food, water and medicine, as well as a backup power supply.

Iodine tablets are also among emergency supplies that citizens are advised to have at home in preparation for a crisis.

Last month, Finland recommended that households buy a one-off dose in the event of a nuclear emergency due to fears that war in Ukraine could spiral, pharmacy started running out of pills.

How do iodine tablets work?

In the event of a nuclear disaster, iodine intake may help protect against certain types of radiation exposure.

During such an event, radioactive iodine can be released into the environment. If absorbed into the body—either through inhalation or by consuming contaminated food or water—radioactive iodine can accumulate in the thyroid gland in the neck and can cause thyroid cancer to develop. Children, young people and breastfeeding women are particularly vulnerable.

Taking iodine tablets can help protect against this through iodine thyroid blockade. Potassium iodide (KI) tablets – a specific type of iodine – must be taken before or at the beginning of exposure to radioactive iodine. This works by saturating the thyroid with stable (non-radioactive) iodine, preventing the thyroid from taking in radioactive iodine.

Iodine tablets, which are usually taken for iodine deficiency, are quite cheap and readily available. But the pills are not recommended for people over 40 and should not be taken beforehand as a preventative measure, according to the World Health Organization.

What are the limitations of iodine?

It should be noted that iodine is not a silver bullet and cannot protect against all types of radiationonly the risk of internal exposure to radioactive iodine.

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Radioactive iodine can be released into the air in a nuclear event and come into contact with a person’s skin, which iodine tablets would do nothing to prevent. External radioactive iodine must be removed by washing the skin with warm water and soap.

In addition, a nuclear explosion would release many different types of radiation and radioactive material that could harm people, such as electromagnetic rays and other particles.

These types of ambient radiation are more difficult to protect against, and the best advice is for people to find shelter indoors, preferably in a basement or in the middle of the building, away from closed doors and windows to reduce exposure to radiation.