Profile of Iodine Content of Salt in Sundarban Delta of West Bengal, India

Considerable progress has been made in the impiementation of the universal salt iodization programme in the countries affected by Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD). The advantage of supplementing with iodized salt is that it is used by all sections of a community irrespective of social and economic status. There are two forms of iodine, which can be used to iodise salt: "iodide" and "iodate" usually as the potassium salt. Iodate is less soluble and more stable than iodide and is therefore preferred for tropical moist conditions. Both are generally referred to as "iodized" salt. Keeping in view of the mean daily intake of common salt of 10 g by the population in different parts of the country, it is mandatory under National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP) that a minimum of 15 ppm of iodine should be present per gram of edible salt at the beneficiary level to ensure at least 150 mg of dietary intake of iodine per day through the salt.