BERLIN -- A German border region is preparing to hand out potassium iodine tablets to residents who want them in case of an accident at a nuclear power plant in Belgium that has caused friction between the two countries.

Local officials in the Aachen area received permission from the regional government to distribute the tablets as a precaution amid longstanding concerns in Germany over the safety of the Tihange plant, less than 43 miles away. They're meant to prevent thyroid cancer in case of radioactive contamination.

According to the BBC, each resident is qualified to receive a blister pack of six pills. The pills work by inundating the thyroid gland with a dose of iodine so that cancer-causing radioactive iodine will not enter the body. The dosage depends on a person's age — two pills per adult or child aged 13 or older, one pill for children aged 3 to 12, half of a pill for toddlers and a quarter of a pill for babies. Anyone over the age of 46 can be prescribed an alternative drug called Irenat.

Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox

From Friday through Nov. 15, people under 46 can apply online for a coupon for the iodine tablets, which they can pick up for free at pharmacies.

Reactors at Belgium's other nuclear plant, at Doel near Antwerp, have been shut down due to safety reasons, according to the BBC. In total, there are seven reactors.

Germany plans to switch off all its nuclear reactors by 2022 and already has shut its oldest plants.