The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : State Government yet to make its stand clear on raw salt ban

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

State Government yet to make its stand clear on raw salt ban

Roy Mathew

More people now question the wisdom of a ban on rock salt

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ban on use of raw salt has come in for criticism from several quarters in the State.

The most intense opposition was from the fishing industry that used raw salt for preserving fish. Its opposition subsided when it was pointed out that the ban would not cover the industry. But more people are now questioning the wisdom of the ban, especially in Kerala. The Government had opposed the ban when it was imposed some years earlier. However, it is yet to take a stand for or against the recent ban.

The Universal Salt Iodisation initiative was proposed internationally as a measure to control goitre. India also adopted the programme.

It was subsequently highlighted that iodine deficiency retarded development of mental faculties in children. Use of iodised salt was advanced as a means to reach iodine to all at low cost.

But critics say that the ban is intended to help the big companies to monopolise salt market. Kerala has special reasons to oppose the ban. One is that raw salt serves to prevent magnesium deficiency. (The average intake of magnesium by Keralites through food is lower than the required 350 mg a day.)

A study conducted by the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences a decade ago had established a correlation between magnesium deficiency and heart (cardiovascular) diseases. It suggested that one of the reasons for the increased incidence of heart diseases in the State and high level of cholesterol in blood was magnesium deficiency. Unlike in the neighbouring States, drinking water in the State did not contain much magnesium.

This, however, was being made up by the traditional use of raw salt. As iodised salt is purified salt, magnesium is not present at any significant level.

Goitre incidence

The coastal areas of the State do not have significant incidence of goitre because seafood is generally rich in iodine. Goitre, however, is said to be endemic in the hilly areas of the State. However, some question this in the absence of any scientifically valid studies.

Even if a problem exists in some parts, questions arise as to why the entire population should be `treated' for that. There is also the remote possibility that iodine intake in coastal areas can exceed the limits when iodised salt is widely used, especially for making pickles and preserving food.

(Iodine intake can also exceed limits because of use of cough mixtures containing potassium iodide.) Excessive intake of iodine can result in another form of goitre.

Besides, the use of iodised salt to cover the entire population also leads to wastage of large quantities of iodine. Studies have shown that about 50 per cent of the iodine in iodised salt is lost in three months as iodine, added as potassium iodide to the salt, is unstable.

`Iodine escapes into air'

The iodine escapes into air on decomposition. The stability is less in humid climate like that of Kerala. Better purification and special packaging can increase the stability of iodised salt. But that means higher costs and total elimination of magnesium salts.

Under the culinary practices followed in Kerala, salt is added during cooking and not after cooking. Potassium iodide will not withstand the high temperatures used for cooking. This means that only very small percentage of iodine added to the salt is actually consumed.

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