Chemical, Nuke war fears: EU stockpiles radiation drugs

The EU yesterday said it was building a 540-million-euro ($590 million) emergency stockpile of medicine and equipment to deal with chemical and nuclear emergencies as fears surge over Russia's war in Ukraine. The bloc's executive, the European Commission, said the supplies consist of "equipment and medicines, vaccines and other therapeutics" to treat patients exposed to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies. As a first step, the EU said it was procuring "potassium iodide tablets which can be used to protect people from the harmful effects of radiation". The announcement comes as fears swirl over potential nuclear or chemical weapon use stemming from Russia's attack on its pro-Western neighbour.