Potassium iodide distributors have a friend on Twitter:
A Twitter battle over the size of each "nuclear button" possessed by President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un has spiked sales of a drug that protects against radiation poisoning.
Troy Jones, who runs the website www.nukepills.com, said demand for potassium iodide soared last week, after Trump tweeted that he had a "much bigger & more powerful" button than Kim — a statement that raised new fears about an escalating threat of nuclear war. "On Jan. 2, I basically got in a month's supply of potassium iodide and I sold out in 48 hours," said Jones, 53, who is a top distributor of the drug in the United States. His Mooresville, N.C., firm sells all three types of the product approved by the Food and Drug Administration. No prescription is required.
In that two-day period, Jones said, he shipped about 140,000 doses of potassium iodide, also known as KI, which blocks the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine and protects against the risk of cancer. Without the tweet, he typically would have sent out about 8,400 doses to private individuals, he said. Jones also sells to government agencies, hospitals and universities, which aren't included in that count.
Alan Morris, president of the Williamsburg, Va.-based pharmaceutical firm Anbex Inc., which distributes potassium iodide, said he's seen a bump in demand, too. "We are a wonderful barometer of the level of anxiety in the country," said Morris.
Note: A comment on the article claims that Nukepills is massively overcharging for the substance.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Saturday January 13 2018, @05:59PM (1 child)
It's a shame he became a born again cry baby but I certainly agree, fantastic guitarist. Countdown to Extinction was my first foray into to metal followed by purchasing Rust In Peace and Metallica's Master of Puppets. I hold that band very near and dear regardless of Dave's kooky turn around.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Saturday January 13 2018, @07:04PM
Yes, it's a shame about that, but at least it has given him some relief from his personal troubles. He's one of my favourite guitarists and song writers too. Some of my favourite songs of all time were written by Dave Mustaine and I love hearing him play the guitar live.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].