Salt as a carrier of iodine in iodine deficient areas.

In the past 80 years, salt has proved a reliable, safe, cheap and stable carrier to correct iodine deficiency on a large scale. Salt is available and consumed everywhere in the world. The per capita daily consumption (a decisive figure for calculating the iodine dosage) is roughly the same under the most varied cultural conditions, namely 8 to 12 grams. An overdose of salt (and thereby of iodine) is virtually excluded. The iodine content of salt is reasonably stable, provided KIO3 (instead of KI) and low-density polyethylene bags for packaging are used under adverse climatic conditions. The price of iodizing salt in Switzerland comes to approximately 15 U.S. cents per capita and per year. Disadvantages of salt are that small local salt manufacturers may lack funds and know-how for proper iodization. Compulsory iodization of all salt may be unacceptable to some people on constitutional grounds, or because they claim to suffer from side effects. However, the advantages of salt as a carrier largely outweigh its drawbacks, and today iodized salt is available to over one billion people.