Thyroid disease-prone coastal areas, raised questions of excessive iodine

Thyroid gland under the shadow of universal iodine supplementation

Southern Weekly reporter Chen Ming Du, Xu-wen 10, single Chongshan Zhejiang, Guangdong, Beijing reported

"This is a harmful thing!" CUI Gong-hao said angrily.

He Tazhuotuoxie from the living room into the kitchen, took out a small bag of white crystals. It was a bag of "Xue-tao" brand refined iodized salt, 350 grams, the price of 1 yuan. This salt occupies the province supermarkets, farms, small store shelves, in the back of his white packaging, the list contains all of the ingredients - sodium chloride, potassium iodate and potassium ferrocyanide, iodine content of 20 -50 ug / g.

The white bag covered with grease, exudes a sharp underwhelmed, which have formed a lump of salt. Couple of months ago, it was discarded junk in the kitchen, put a corner, no one will touch it.

In Cui, it is seen as "invisible killer."

In 2008, CUI Gong-ho, the wife of a medical examination of the thyroid cyst was found inexplicable, in the doctor's recommendation implementation of resection. CUI Gong-hao the couple are engaged in medical work, the family has always attached great importance to food safety, immediate family members are also no relevant medical history. Thyroid cyst is how it happened, let CUI Gong-hao was very puzzled.

However, several large hospitals in Zhejiang, where the students, Choi Gong-ho vaguely get the answer: Since 2000, in Zhejiang province in patients with thyroid sharp rise, particularly among Hangzhou, Ningbo, Zhoushan and other offshore areas of the population is more. His wife after the operation, Cui there are three or four friends one after another detected thyroid disease.

CUI Gong-hao just treat it as a thing to make, but the distance he had lived three or four hours drive from Hangzhou, Zhoushan, has been into action.

By the end of March 2009, "Zhoushan Forum", a group launched a boycott User iodized salt action in protest of mandatory salt iodization. Thyroid disease reporting dozens of pages of thread to achieve as much. One user said that they have a large family of five individuals diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and now the whole family do not eat iodized salt has.

In fact, as early as two years ago, Zhoushan City People's Hospital ZHANG Yong-kui, we noted that the local thyroid disease in the surge. He specifically search of hospital treatment record: 2007 to Zhoushan City People's Hospital for surgery in patients with thyroid disease, over 770 people, more than five years ago, an increase of more than 500 cases, including cases of thyroid cancer is increased by one fold.

In 2000, the former China Medical University, endocrinologist Teng Weiping, in the published in the "Chinese Journal of Endocrinology Metabolism," on a paper, had already made their own judgments: At present, China is in the peak incidence of thyroid diseases.

With his judgment-phase support, in Shanghai, in 2001, Second Military Medical University, Changhai Hospital affiliated secretion Branch Huang Qin and others of the Baosteel Group carried out a period of 4 months and found 310 cases of diagnosed patients with thyroid diseases , there are 183 cases in the iodized salt occurred after three and a half years; Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital, who found the money Pik 1981 to 2001 the average annual incidence of thyroid cancer in Tianjin rate of 1.77 / 10 million, and the showed an upward trend year by year.

The country to vigorously pursue the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders, 15 years after the implementation of the iodization of salt, what is the cause of the frequent occurrence of thyroid disease? Iodized salt and thyroid disease associated with what? Chinese Ministry of Health and Disease Control Department has not yet reached conclusions on this issue.

"This can not be accidental sporadic event." 72-year-old retired professor of Zhejiang University School of Medicine CUI Gong-hao, began to trace a person's actions.

Had to supplement with iodine

Choi Gong-ho has collected almost all the reports can be found.

He noted: From 2008 the beginning, "Hangzhou, whether the person should eat iodized salt," see the discussion on the frequency of major newspapers, while in the previous, "advocating consumption of iodized salt to prevent thyroid cancer" is the voice of the mainstream.

Country from 1994 to introduce universal salt iodization policy, thyroid disease, the rapid increase in recent years, whether a correlation exists universal consumption of iodized salt?

CUI Gong-hao suspect that the biggest "killer" It was a daily consumption of iodized salt.

Chinese Nutrition Society in a report: China's urban residents, average daily salt intake of 11 grams to 17 grams of rural residents.

"This means that, based on the current market the majority of iodized salt in iodine content of 20-50 micrograms per gram of salt calculation, the Chinese people has reached an alarming daily iodine intake of 220 to 850 micrograms, far exceeding the World Health Organization designated 200 ug / day safety line. "CUI Gong-hao statistics obtained after this appalling figure.

In China, the amount of iodized salt iodization range of 20-50 micrograms / g, varies between regions, but in a relatively small amount of iodine in the PRD region, also amounted to 30 micrograms of iodine.

Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University nutritionist, Associate Professor Hsing-Kuo Wang believes that iodine excess, should be a warning: "Indeed, excess iodine can cause thyroid disease, such as hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules, thyroiditis, thyroid tumors." Just this year in April, Dalian and the media have raised the local supply of iodized salt is excessive, and an increase in diseases caused by thyroid problems, while the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention's response is "not found."

Choi Gong-ho to find it difficult to accept that he lived in Hangzhou is currently not in ordinary supermarkets and small shops can not buy non-iodized salt.

In China, salt from the salt company's franchise is basically the implementation of unified purchase and marketing. Provinces in the region belonging to iodized salt, iodized salt is not the legitimate channels of distribution can not otherwise be deemed "Private Salt" processing.

To eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in China's national technical guidance center of international cooperation projects (NTTST) web site, with access to the non-iodized salt sales outlets, currently only Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and other four cities.

CUI Gong-hao has repeatedly called the salt company, Zhejiang Province, the other staff members told him: iodine is the basic national policy, if we have to buy non-iodized salt can go to the salt company salt products store, but it must be issued by virtue of the hospital-related diseases proof.

"It's so difficult for me to accept such a premise is, unless you first get sick, and proves to them that you can not eat salt." Cui said.

In Zhejiang province and the country for many years iodine education, prevention of large neck disease and to improve children's IQ has been a sense of universal iodine supplementation of the two arguments. In 2006, the Ministry of Health will include the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders IQ must be measured for monitoring indicators and means an average of Zhejiang and other provinces for more than 94% coverage of iodized salt, Zhejiang Province, for children aged 8-10 the "average IQ of 110 or more," while 8-10 year-old children in Guangdong Province had an IQ of 101, the same year, Guangdong qualified iodized salt consumption rate was only 84.39%.

Now, Zhejiang facing a new problem: excessive iodine intake may be dangerous.

Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, a retired teacher, Guixiang thyroid nodules detected last year, she found that medical school each year in the number of people suffering from thyroid disease is increasing.

Since then she began to pay attention to controlling the number of salt a day the family, but also intends to advance the salt when cooking. But the study chemistry Guixiang soon found out how long it will be futile speculation at present to major added iodide salt is potassium iodate, potassium iodate very stable. The original easy-to-evaporation of iodine added to the "shortcomings" as early as 1989, was captured, and this year, seven departments in the Ministry of Health issued a notice requiring the country to gradually switch to potassium iodate salt processing.

"Even in the laboratory beaker boil, it will not volatile." Helpless in the Guixiang, had issued the disease to the hospital to prove to the company store to buy non-iodized salt, or the whole family will have to face continue to "iodine" dilemma.