From what I've heard and read, iodine tabs have a pretty long shelf life -- 5 to 10 years.
While it would be wise to buy fresh ones, I wouldn't toss the old ones because they may have some protection left in them.
If we're in that kind of emergency and I had no iodine pills (say I was a neighbor), I'd gladly take the old ones if a radioactive cloud were coming my way.
In that kind of calamity, if my food stores ran down I'd be less picky about canned food expiration dates, too. Those things aren't precise and are related to liability as well as safety and freshness.
And now I'm going to do more research on potassium iodine tabs. Thanks for raising this. I bought some last year but haven't looked closely at them lately.
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5. Is there a shelf life for KI?
The shelf life approved by FDA for different manufacturers of the drug ranges from five to seven years. However, if properly stored (protected from air, heat, light and moisture), KI can maintain its form for many years without significant degradation.
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/emerg-preparedness/protect-public/ki-faq.htmlWhat is the shelf life of KI tablets?
As with all drug products, the manufacturer must specify an expiration date of the drug on either the package or the individually wrapped tablet. The NRC distributes two tablet strengths of potassium iodide, 130 and 65 mg tablets. The shelf life of IOSAT 130 mg tablets is 7 years and the shelf life of ThyroSafe 65 mg tablets is 6 years.
For States interested in extending the shelf life of KI, the FDA has published guidance on shelf life extension for the tablet form of potassium iodide. Extending the shelf life of KI tablets is possible due to the inherent stability of the chemical form. However, the tablets must be stored under the conditions specified by the manufacturer to be considered for shelf life extension. In addition, this guidance only is intended for Federal agencies and State and local governments that maintain KI stockpiles under the conditions specified by the manufacturer.
The liquid formulation of KI also has a shelf-life of 5 years. The extension guidance does not apply to this product form.
Is it safe to take KI tablets with an expired shelf-life?
Yes,potassium iodide tablets are inherently stable and do not lose their effectiveness over time. Manufacturers must label their products with a shelf-life to ensure that consumers purchase safe and useful products.
According to FDA guidance on Shelf-life Extension , studies over many years have confirmed that none of the components of KI tablets, including the active ingredient, has any significant potential for chemical degradation or interaction with other components or with components of the container closure system when stored according to labeled directions. To date, the only observed changes during stability (shelf-life) testing have been the failure of some batches of KI tablets to meet dissolution specifications. Some tablets tested required slightly longer than the specified time to achieve dissolution. Even in the case of a failure of this sort, the product remains usable. In such cases, instructions can be provided to crush the tablets and mix them with a juice or other liquid prior to administration as suggested for emergency pediatric dosing.
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