Iodization of edible common salt with the amended food regulation of year 2005 : a case study

Abstract

Advanced level science teachers and students do not pay much attention to practical work, Within the broad area of G.C.E. (A/L) chemistry syllabus, the subject of iodated salt can be integrated to enhance the awareness and knowledge on the use of S&T in day to day real life applications. lodine deficiency disorders are common in our country and they can be prevented by taking daily requirement of iodine with iodated edible common salt. The amended food regulation in 2005 requires iodated edible common salt in the market to have 15-30 ppm of iodine level. The objectives of the present study are to determine the iodine content of the salt samples in the market, to check whether they conform the requirement of the regulation and to introduce a new experiment based on this determination for G.C.E. Advanced Level Chemistry syllabus. At the end, it is expected to provide recommendation to use in the subject areas given in the G.C.E. (A/L) syllabus to enhance the awareness and knowledge of the society on the use of S & T in day to day applications. In this context, a newly designed practical based on iodated salt and iodometry was introduced to selected number of G.C.E. (A/L) students. 377 students of year 13 were selected randomly from two 1AB schools from Anuradhapura district and out of them 48