Iodised salt manufacturing centre in Puttalam

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

PUTTALAM: Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva opened the Rs. 45 million worth new iodised salt manufacturing centre at Puttalam recently.

This factory will provide iodised, washed and cleaned salt to the public.

Earlier, the salt used in Sri Lanka was not iodised.

According to some studies done by the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry the salt used in Sri Lanka so far is very unhygienic and not suitable for daily use. This new factory will minimise diseases caused by lack of iodine.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry will take action against persons who produce and sell unhygienic salt.

The Puttalam factory provides 30 per cent of the total salt requirement of Sri Lanka while the Hambantota factory provides 70 per cent. The Hambantota iodised salt manufacturing centre was set up at a cost of Rs. six million.

Usually infants require 50 mg of iodine per day while children need 90 to 120 mg of iodine per day.

Adults require 150 mg of iodine per day while the daily requirement of iodine for a pregnant mother is 175 mg. Breast feeding mothers need 200 mg of iodine per day. Due to lack of iodine, people are subjected to different types of health problems in different age groups.

Infants are subjected to poor brain development and poor cell development while children get affected with lack of memory strength, poor physical development, speech and hearing defects and some other health problems due to the lack of iodine.

Adults are subjected to poor physical and psychical activities, poor productivity and several other diseases while pregnant mothers have miscarriages and stillbirths due to lack of iodine.