Iodized Salt/Table Salt
<p ><b>odised salt</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences#-ise.2C-ize.28-isation.2C_-ization.29" title="American and British English spelling differences" >also spelled</a> <b>iodized salt</b>) is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_salt" title="Table salt" class="mw-redirect" >table salt</a> mixed with a minute amount of various iodine-containing salts. The ingestion of iodide prevents <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_deficiency" title="Iodine deficiency" >iodine deficiency</a>. Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects about two billion people and is the leading preventable cause of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_retardation" title="Mental retardation" >mental retardation</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-mcneil_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt#cite_note-mcneil-0" >[1]</a></sup> </p>
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Deficiency also causes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid" title="Thyroid" >thyroid</a> gland problems, including "endemic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitre" title="Goitre" >goitre</a>". In many countries, iodine deficiency is a major public health problem that can be cheaply addressed by iodisation of salt.</p>
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Iodine is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronutrient" title="Micronutrient" >micronutrient</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_mineral" title="Dietary mineral" >dietary mineral</a> that is naturally present in the food supply in some regions, especially near sea coasts, but is generally quite rare in the Earth's crust, since iodine is a so-called "heavy" element with the highest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_mass" title="Atomic mass" >atomic mass</a> of any element needed by mammals for life), and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abundance_of_chemical_elements" title="Abundance of chemical elements" class="mw-redirect" >abundance of chemical elements</a> generally declines with greater atomic mass. Where natural levels of iodine in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil" title="Soil" >soil</a> are low and the iodine is not taken up by vegetables, iodine added to salt provides the small but essential amount of iodide needed by humans.
Iodide-treated table salt slowly loses its iodine content through the process of oxidation and iodine evaporation.</p>
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In some countries, table salt is treated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_fluoride" title="Potassium fluoride" >potassium fluoride</a> to enhance dental health.<sup id="cite_ref-Aigueperse_13-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt#cite_note-Aigueperse-13" >[14]</a></sup></p>
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