Pills to Reduce Thyroid Cancer Risk Stored near Florida Nuclear Plants.

Byline: Deborah Circelli

May 2--State health officials revealed Wednesday that 784,000 potassium iodide pills have been stored in undisclosed locations near the state's three nuclear power plants to protect residents against thyroid cancer in the event of a nuclear disaster.

The Florida Department of Health says it is still working with county emergency management officials throughout the state to determine how the pills would be distributed. They expect to have a final plan in the next couple of months.

But emergency management officials in St. Lucie and Martin counties expressed concerns about how the pills will be handed out. They also fear residents may get the wrong message; that they don't need to evacuate if they take a potassium iodide pill.

In St. Lucie County -- where 95 percent of the population lives within a …