Moldova imported one million iodine tablets from Romania as fighting rages over a nuclear power plant in neighboring Ukraine.
The eastern European country, with a population of 2.5 million, insisted residents should not panic as it increased its stockpile of pills that can prevent radioactive elements from building up in the body.
Shelling has intensified near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, with the UN warning that the fighting could “lead to catastrophe”.
The pills, donated by Romania, work to stop the absorption of radioactive iodine in people’s thyroid glands, which can develop cancer if exposed to radiation.
However, the Moldovan government says it has not seen an increase in radiation levels and said people should wait for official instructions before taking the pills, which are stored at local medical facilities.
In the event of a nuclear disaster, iodine pills will first be given to people who cannot evacuate or shelter, such as emergency workers, Moldova’s National Public Health Agency said.
