The massive earthquake and tsumami that have devastated Japan and caused radioactive releases from the Fukushima nuclear generation facility have prompted a spike of sales of potassium iodate and potassium iodide tablets worldwide, Meaghan Ringwelski reported on Yahoo! News.

Ringwelski reported that an eBay search revealed "skyrocketing sales" due to marketing as "anti-radiation pills."

"While there is a degree of truth to those statements, the reality is a little more complex.

"Potassium iodide, whose chemical formula is KI, is a very common type of salt. When ingested, it saturates the thyroid gland; in turn, the thyroid is unable to absorb any more iodine for about 24 hours. Radioactive iodine has been released from the Fukushima plant explosion; by taking potassium iodide, those who may have been exposed to the radiation can shield their thyroids from harmful radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine can cause damage; thyroid cancer may also occur. It is believed that radioactive cesium may have also been released, too; potassium iodide tablets do not shield against the effects of that substance."