[en] People who live within twelve to fifteen kilometers from one of the Swedish Nuclear Power plants have received a brochure about existing security arrangements and the actions which they are recommended to take in the wake of a nuclear accident. Tablets containing potassium iodide have also been handed out to the people living close to the power plants. Due to the short life of the iodide tablets, people receive new ones from time to time. Before the distribution of new tablets, however, the National Institute of Radiation Protection wanted to learn if people still had the old tablets and the brochure in their homes. The National Institute of Radiation Protection also was interested in assessing people's knowledge about the protection given by the iodide tablets and whether people knew when to take them. Nine persons out of ten (87%) could show the tablets to the interviewers, and seven out of ten (71%) could do so with the brochure. Half of the total number of respondents knew when they were supposed to take the tablets (47%). Nevertheless two partly conflicting messages have been given to the public about the proper time to take the tablet: according to the text printed on the cover of the tablets, they are to be taken immediately when the people have learnt about an accident; but according to the brochure distributed to the households, people must wait until they are told by the radio to take the tablets. One person of four (22%) said that the radio should inform them, and almost the same number of people (25%) said that the tablets ought to be taken immediately following an accident. Only one person of four (27%) knew what protection they would get from the iodine tablets. Another 17% had a vague idea about the affect resulting from taking them. Many people (25%) had the false belief that the tablets offered them general protection against radiation. (author)