Iodide pill distribution will begin in May for Amherstburg residents living near the Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the town will send letters to residents living within 16.1km with details on how to pick up the free kit which contains enough supply for a family of 4-5 people.
The pills block the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine which may be released during a nuclear disaster.
"So it is not a magic pill," says Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed. "It doesn't protect you from anything else, it just protects you from developing thyroid cancer which is the most common type of health concerns that arise in the event of a nuclear disaster."
He says residents would be notified when to take the pills through the emergency notification system or media.
"What we know, again from previous areas, is that it takes time before any release to happen. There is always this period where there might be a danger for nuclear material release so that is when the communities are informed and notified."
Weather conditions, such as wind and temperature, affect how quickly radioactive iodine spreads into a community in the event of a Fermi 2 incident.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed. April 26, 2018 (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
Amherstburg Fire Chief Bruce Montone says the pills would be taken only when there is a major disaster.
"Every event at a nuclear generating station isn't the three-mile island kind of catastrophe," says Chief Montone. "There are many many more minor incidents that occur that give us an opportunity to learn from."
Officials emphasize there has been no change to the risk at Fermi 2.
The province picked up the $370,000 cost of the 500 kits that will be distributed beginning May 7.