In the U.S., we'd make sure everyone had to buy them.

-- Mal

no less than $100.00 a pop, generating millions in profits which would go directly into the pocket of the crooked CEO. America.....land of the fleeced.

from an old leaded glass CRT?

Most places won't accept them anymore

Stable iodine doesn't protect against radiation... it only protects against a specific radioactive element taking up residence in your body.

The most common exposure in a nuclear accident is to radioactive iodine. It has a short half-life (and is thus more active) and an even shorter biological half-life... with one notable exception. Iodine is retained in your thyroid gland. Because of this, thyroid cancer is the most common health impact from a nuclear accident (bombs are different of course).

What stable iodine does is flood your thyroid so that there isn't any room for the radioactive iodine to take up residence. It thus flushes faster from the body - dramatically reducing the risk to those people who live near an accident.

Back to your question - unless the exposure you're trying to avoid is from radioactive iodine... the pills won't do you any good at all. They could even harm you.

but we are having two different conversations I think

I was asking about the lead CRT, television tubes, as a shield from radiation,
much like a traditional 35mm lead film shield bag

I wouldn't imagine a CRT would offer much protection, but seems to me some
are lead lined in addition to lead in the glass. I have a 19" TV that is
85 pounds, 12 pounds heavier than my last 27" CRT TV

But along the lines you mention, I have organic iodine drops, keep a bottle on hand
in case of a radioactive event. Also a little kelp

I won't mash the TV tube and eat it! funny!

Did you know that right after Fukushima, we had people in the US (including anti-nuke activists in Vermont) who were taking iodine pills?

Taking stable iodine to reduce the body's uptake of radioiodine makes sense if (and only if) there's a serious nuclear accident very close by. Otherwise, the dangers of iodine poisoning far outweigh the risks that you think you're reducing. To make things worse, many of the symptoms of an iodine overdose (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.) can easily be mistaken for radiation poisoning in an environment where paranoia combined with confirmation bias rules. Causing people to panic and even take more.

If Belgium, out of an abundance of caution, wants to plan for the worst... then it makes sense to purchase sufficient supplies and stage them around the country for rapid distribution.

It's pretty normal.

The thing is: "it makes sense to purchase sufficient supplies and stage them around the country for rapid distribution" assumes that people will actually go into the hot zone to distribute them, or that they will somehow catch up with evacuees.

Since it is a prophylaxis against uptake of certain isotopes, then the timing is essential, and it is concurrent with evacuation. They are distributed with instructions not to take them unless there is an announcement to take them.

But this is an entire national population.

assumes that people will actually go into the hot zone to distribute them

Yep... which is just what should happen. First responders, Nat Guard, Military... they all have NBC gear to accommodate that very plan.

It's a oversimplification, but one rule of thumb is that the expected radiation dose should be above 1-10 mSV from I131 in order for the avoided risk from exposure to outweigh the risk from the normal dose of KI. The problem is that some people treat them like a dietary supplement and don't limit themselves to that dosage.

They are distributed with instructions not to take them unless there is an announcement to take them.

Which did nothing to stop LOTS of people here in the US from taking them even though there were NO announcements here to do so.

to live in Switzerland, we were given iodine pills as well. They are replaced every two years and are sent to your home address.
ugh

They should market it as "Nuke Away."

(a brand name introduced by Robin Williams in his role as Mork.)

Potassium Iodide (bitter, limited shelf life), and possum iodate (long shelf life, better tolerated by picky children).

https://www.campingsurvival.com/mecopoiok190.html