Millions of pills designed to help protect people from nuclear fallout have yet to be produced or delivered--despite an order from Congress.

People living near Plant Vogtle still have questions about the effectiveness of the medication.

David Royal lives in Girard, about seven miles from Plant Vogtle, one of the country's 104 plants hosting at least one licensed nuclear reactor.

He's heard about a pill that's supposed to protect him but doesn't know much more than that.

"Most of us don't really know what it will and will not do for us," Royal said.

The pill is Potassium Iodide and is smaller than a dime. It's designed to guard your thyroid against radioactive iodine in the event of a severe nuclear accident.

Burke County has about 1,400 of the pills sealed in a box, but Emergency Management Director, Rusty Sanders, says they'll only be given out if there's a need.

"I don't believe we should use them prematurely," Sanders said. "They do have a shelf life expectancy and there could be some side effects with them."

In fact, Chief Sanders said he'd rather relocate people away from Plant Vogtle than distribute a pill he said can be minimally effective.

"It's only designed to protect your thyroid gland," Sanders said. "It's not going to protect you from exposure to your skin, lungs, or any other area of your body."

That's why Royal is interested in the pill but would probably leave it behind if he had to get out of harm's way in a hurry.

"Everybody would forget about that pill anyway," Royal added, laughing. "Might be better off to have a bunch of them wherever we're going!"

Roughly 3,100 people live within 10 miles of Plant Vogtle.