(CNN) -- Alan Morris talked very fast about the dangers of thyroid gland radiation poisoning as his business line rang incessantly in the background. "Look, I really have to go," Morris said as he abruptly ended the telephone interview to fill another order. Morris is president of Anbex Inc., one of only two FDA-approved U.S. manufacturers of potassium iodide, a medication that can block the thyroid glands of human beings and animals from absorbing excessive amounts of radiation from a nuclear accident. Experts believe that many of the dangers posed by overexposure to nuclear fallout, including cancer, can be diminished by blocking thyroid absorption of radiation.
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The Japanese nuclear crisis prompts calls to U.S. manufacturers
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Potassium iodide blocks thyroid gland's absorption of radiation
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U.S. supplies of the drug are nearing expiration dates
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The U.S. is "not expected to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity"
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There is currently only enough of the medication available for populations living within 10 miles of nuclear reactors in the United States, according to @placeholder officials.