The Hancock County Health Department handed out potassium pills so people would have them in case of a nuclear accident.

-- The pills are the first line of defense in case of a radiation leak, and were distributed to people living within 10 miles of the nuclear power plant in Beaver County.

The clinic was to prepare people in the event of a radiation leak at the nuclear plant in Beaver County.

"I've heard for probably all my life that we were close to this radiation," said Joan Rees, who picked up pills at the clinic.

Rees said she got the message and wanted to be prepared for an accident. She also was hoping to protect her pets.

"I wanted one for my dogs, but they said I couldn't have that," said Rees.

The potassium pills block radiation from saturating the thyroid glands in your neck and prevent cancer -- a lesson learned from Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl.

"They need one in case there's an actual nuclear accident," said Anthony LaPosta, of the Hancock County Health Department.

If there was an accident, the Harv at Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort would become a point of distribution, which is one of the reasons the clinic was held there Tuesday.

While the pills are important, the best thing to do in an emergency is leave.

"Evacuate. That's really prime. Evacuate. Get out of the 10-mile radius," said Cindy Webster, a nurse with the health department.

Not everyone needs these pills, but the health department suggests people who live within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear plant has them on hand.

Anyone can get the pills for free by going to their local health clinic.

-John Paul, NEWS9