A new approach to combatting iodine deficiency in developing countries: The controlled release of iodine in water by a silicone elastomer

Objectives. Four hundred million people or more may be exposed to iodine deficiency worldwide, in developing countries in particular. Because of the practical problems with existing methods for the large-scale prevention of iodine deficiency, the authors developed a new approach to collective prophylaxis. Methods. This approach relies on the controlled diffusion of iodine into water from a silicone elastomer. Silicone matrices installed in a bore well released iodine at a rate sufficient to permit the daily per capita intake of at least 100 μg of iodine, the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. The matrices were tested over 1 year in a village in Mali, West Africa, an area in which goiter was highly endemic. The effects on the well water and population were compared with those of a placebo system in a control village. Results. An increase in urinary iodine levels was observed in the treated population, and after 12 months the incidence of goiter had fallen from 53.2% to 29.2%. Conclusions. This new concept, adaptable to all sources of water supply, may contribute to the eradication of iodine deficiency.