people need to begin to take iodine anyhow to fill the thyroid and the other body tissues which use concentrated iodine such as the breast, stomach, prostate, and others. 90 % of the US is iodine deficient anyway, so we need iodine even if there wasn't a nuclear disaster spreading radioactive iodine 131 far and wide. if you are deficient in iodine, the body will quickly take up any iodine- radioactive or not.