Chinese Salt Hoarders Learn a Lesson

Chinese salt hoarders are lining up to return the seasoning after the salt panic caused by the Japan earthquake.   

As some of Japan's nuclear reactors were severely disturbed, many residents outside of Japan worry about whether the radiation emanating from these reactors will reach their shores. However, sometimes worry turns into hysteria, an emotion born from the heart and not necessarily the head. Chinese salt hoarders are an example.

Now some residents of China have more salt on their hands than they know what to do with. The salt panic caused them to buy the seasoning, at prices higher than they normally would, thinking that all that iodine would protect them from radiation. Some of them are receiving a refund, but others, such as those who shopped at Beijing Wal-Mart, are not.

However, Chinese salt hoarders are not alone. Many people are under the impression that large amounts of table salt can save you from radiation poisoning. Advice distributed by WHO, and other health officials, warn against self-medicating with iodine products.

The salt panic will subside when consumers realize that consuming large amounts of table salt, which is detrimental to the body, is not the answer for radiation protection.

 

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons

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