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Japan's nuclear crisis has sparked panic buying of iodine pills, with online bids exceeding $500 for a single packet, but health experts hosed down the hysteria and warned the pills are of limited use.

As fresh blasts rocked a stricken atomic plant on Japan's east coast, and crews worked frantically to cool reactors that emitted dangerous levels of radiation near the facility, jitters spread to Tokyo and beyond.

US-based firms selling potassium iodide, a radiation sickness preventative, completely ran out of stock and pharmacies across the country's Pacific-facing West Coast had a rush on the over-the-counter pills.

"We are quite slammed with orders, but we are working as fast as we can to get orders out," said NukePills.com, which had sold out of iodine tablets and was fast exhausting oral liquid supplies.

"We are experiencing delays in shipping due to the Japan nuclear crisis. A delay in shipping may be a week or more."

Potassium iodide is a salt used to saturate the thyroid gland to block the uptake of radioactive iodine, a highly carcinogenic substance that can leak from nuclear reactors in an accident.

Another major supplier, Anbex, said it was also out of stock and didn't expect new orders until April 18.

One packet of 14 pills had attracted bids of up to $540 at online auction house eBay and talk about radiation poisoning was so feverish on Twitter and other forums that the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement urging calm.

"Consult your doctor before taking iodine pills. Do not self-medicate!" the WHO said on its Twitter page.

Iodine pills are "not radiation antidotes" and offer no protection against radioactive elements such as caesium, the UN's health agency said, stressing they also carried health risks for some people, including pregnant women.

The WHO also cautioned against drinking or applying iodine liquid, commonly used as an antiseptic, after a rush on the wound cleaner in Asian countries, where iodine is typically only available in hospitals or by prescription.

"It is crazy, people have been reading about the situation in Japan and they are demanding iodine tablets, but most pharmacies don't stock the tablets," said Kuala Lumpur pharmacist Paul Ho.

"There have also been text messages and e-mails going round that you can use the iodine antiseptic solution, which you place around your neck, to help cut down on radiation absorption," he added.

"I don't know if its true but we have run out of all our iodine antiseptic solution at the moment."

The text message is billed as a "newsflash" from a major news organization and urges Asian residents to "take precautions" including sheltering indoors and swabbing the thyroid region of the neck with iodine.

Questions:

1. How much have people been willing to bid for Iodine pills?

2. What part of the body do the pills target?

3. Who do Iodine tablets carry a risk for?

Answers:

1. $500.

2. Thyroid Gland.

3. Pregnant women.

去聽寫專區一展身手

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

Todd Balazovic is a reporter for the Metro Section of China Daily. Born in Mineapolis Minnesota in the US, he graduated from Central Michigan University and has worked for the China Daily for one year.

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