In the United States, the nuclearRegulatoryCommissionrecommends that people livingwithina 10-mileemergencyplanningzonearound a nuclear plant have access to potassium iodidetablets.
Because there are only a limited number of potassiumiodidetablets in the world, people hoarding them in the U.S. are preventing them from getting those who really need them like the people in Japan.