Residents in Scarborough have been mailed potassium iodine pills, to be used in the case of a nuclear disaster.

The project was first rolled out in Pickering, where everyone living within 10 kilometres of the Pickering Nuclear Plant received the pills.

According to The Toronto Star, about 200,000 homes and businesses – all located within 10 kilometres of the Pickering or Darlington plants – have received pills.

CityNews reporter Andrea Piunno received a box of anti-radiation pills. Image courtesy Andrea Piunno.

They’re not all-encompassing anti-radiation pills. Instead, they reduce the risk of thyroid cancer, according to a joint website from Durham Region, the City of Toronto, and Ontario Power Generation.

The pills have been available for free at pharmacies, but now the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is requiring them to be mailed out within the 10-kilometre zone due to increased safety standards.

Anyone who lives within 50 kilometres of a nuclear facility can ask for a free set at the website.

Are you within the zone? Click here to enter your postal code and find out.