Potassium Iodide pills, which reportedly protect a person’s thyroid gland, are given out to residents and businesses in a 10-mile radius of the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station.

Radioactive iodine, one of the contaminants that could be released in a nuclear accident, can increase the risk of thyroid cancer. The potassium iodide drug can block exposure to radioactive iodine, according to the Montgomery County Health Department’s website.
The pills are another layer of protection and not a substitute for evacuation.

Pills can be picked up Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., at the Pottstown Health Center, 364 King St., in Pottstown.