Non IodisedSalt to be made illegal in India

To,Have just learnt last night that the Govt. Notification No. GSR 340 ( E) reads

” No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale the common salt for direct human consumption unless the same is iodised”.

Wish this was a joke (makes it seem worse than taking drugs !!!!!) . The date of the Notification, I am informed is 27-5-2005 and the last day for raising objections is 27-7-2005.

The Notification becomes law on 15-8-2005.

Though I did send out a note earlier, was not aware of the urgency.

PLEASE TREAT THIS AS V.V. URGENT AND FAX THE PEOPLE BELOW TO SHOW YOUR OBJECTION. MY SAMPLE LETTER IS BELOW – BUT U CAN WRITE UR OWN.

 pl. send a copy to me if possible

PLEASE GIVE FURTHER SUGGESTIONS AND IF U HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND ABT. WHAT CAN / SHD. BE DONE – PL. SHARE UR IDEAS.

Love and thanks.

pervin
pjehangir@hotmail.com

To,
The Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Fax : 011 -23016857 / 23019817
Ph : 011- 23012312

To,
The President of India
New Delhi

Fax : 011 – 23017290 / 23017824 / 23019545 / 7290
Ph : 23015321
e-mail: presidentofindia@rb.nic.in

To,
The Secretary,
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Nirman Bhavan,
New Delhi

Fax : 011 – 23061648
Ph : 23018514 / 23061661
e-mail : hfm@alpha.nic.in

Sonia Gandhi
 Fax :  011 – 23018651

Re: Compulsory Iodisation of Salt.
Dear Sir,

We strongly object to the compulsory iodisation of salt for the following reasons.

1. It is our right as consumers to decide whether we want to use it or not. Both should be available in the market and properly labelled to show the contents. Infact, Iodised salt should carry a compulsory warning in Bold Lettering that “Usage of Iodised Salt could lead to Thyrotoxicosis.”

2. Nowhere is iodised salt mandatory – not in the USA, nor in UK, Australia, Switzerland, Mauritius, Turkey , etc. and etc.

3. In fact, Tasmania and Holland , had heavy increases in thyrotoxicosis when iodised salt was introduced and they actually discontinued it.

4. Another major matter for concern is that India is using a poison- Potassium Iodate instead of Potassium Iodide to iodise common salt. Potassium Iodate has not been approved in the USA according to Dr.P.B.Deshpande. Studies in Australia have shown a high incidence of thyrotoxicosis with Potassium Iodate.

 5.According to Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 27th Edition, June 1977, pg.823 -Iodine : Toxic Effects: Continued administration of iodine is known to lead to mental depression, nervousness, insomnia, impotence, myxoedema and goitre. Hypersensitivity to iodine (Iodism) may occur acutely or after prolonged administration and is characterised by coryza, headaches, pain in the salivary glands, lachrymation, weakness, conjunctivitis, fever, laryngitis, bronchitis, and skin reactions including ioderma, erythema, acneform eruptions, urticaria, suppurative and haemorrhagic rashes. Vomiting, metallic taste in the mouth, abdominal pain and diarrhoea are also known to occur. In extreme cases, death due to oedema of the glottis causing asphyxiation and pulmonary oedema are also recorded .Iodides in breast milk are suspected to cause hypothyroidism or goitre in infants. Iodine given to the mother is also known to cause Thrombocytopenia which is hazardous to the foetus.

6. It would be far better to create an awareness that milling and polishing of rice and other grains removes their iodine content. Cereals, millets, pulses. dals, leafy vegetables, roots and spices,jaggery, nuts, fruits, milk and milk products, eggs, fish and even tap water contain iodine in its natural, absorbable form. So basically, what you need to advocate is a healthy, balanced diet and clean drinking water – as it is worms and
drinking water polluted with animal and human excreta and water rich in calcium, (drawn from deep wells ) that leads to iodine deficiency.

The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Govt of India ,has excellent studies on Iodine Content of Different Food stuffs, Loss of Iodine in Grain Milling and even Iodine Content of Regional Diets , which has shown that Andhra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra ,Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are much higher than the minimum required.

7.    It is indeed sad that 2.5 % of the population suffers from cretinism because of iodine deficiency. However, does it make any sense to treat 98% of the population for a problem faced by 2.5% !!!

8.    And what about the large section of the 40 + population who tend to have Hyperthyroidism to start with ?As it is our Indian food includes items like pickles and preserves which have a very high salt content. So, it is quite likely that even those with normal thyroid functioning can be pushed into the hyperthyroid category with compulsory usage of iodised salt. Also, each individual has his / her own capacity to absorb/ not absorb iodine.

9. The Goitre control programme run by the government of India over the past two decades has been a miserable failure, we are informed,with the incidence of goitre in Himachal Pradesh having increased from 20 % to 35 % and in the Punjab from 9 % to 45 %. In Bihar it went up from 40% to 64%, as per some studies . Why then is this failed programme being forced         onto    the entire nation?

9. Why are there such contrary results from the researches undertaken? Could the answer lie in the sponsorship of those researches?

It is an irony that in our country where Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi March for the right to take ordinary salt from the sea water the government should think of enforcing a ban on Common Salt!

A BAN ON NON – IODISED SALT WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM US EVEN OUR RIGHT TO THE CHOICE OF WHAT WE EAT. IN A COUNTRY THAT IS CONSIDERED FIT ENOUGH TO VOTE  ,

I AM SURE THE CITIZENS ARE FIT ENOUGH TO MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES.THE GOVERNMENT MUST IMMEDIATELY STOP TRYING TO USURP OUR RIGHTS AND RISK OUR HEALTH, FOR THE BENEFIT OF VESTED INTERESTS.

 SALT IN ITS NATURAL FORM IS OUR BIRTH-RIGHT.

 Thank you

Pervin Jehangir