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• Published date: 15 April 2024
• Publication title: Bush Telegraph

Iodine and fluorine are both members of the halogen group of the periodic table of elements

Iodine deficiency, leading to goitre (swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck), was common in New Zealand until the 1920s, when iodine was added to salt.

Cases of goitre have been almost unheard of since then. It is now added to bread, as is selenium, which is present in flour, most of which comes from Australia.

The Ministry of Health, as well as the World Health Organization, recommends the addition of trace amounts of fluoride to the water supply of countries which are deficient, one of which is New Zealand.

Fluoride prevents dental decay, and the addition of a safe amount to our...