35% of Indonesians lack iodine

JAKARTA: Ministry of Health community health promotion director general Azrul Azwar said Thursday that about 35 percent of Indonesia's 215 million people had experienced some obstacles in their mental and physical growth due to lack of iodine in their diets.

He said a lack of iodine, the main source of which was iodized salt could result in miscarriages, congenital retardation, mental backwardness, smallness and hyperthyroid problems.

Azrul said only 127 of 209 salt firms produced iodized salt. He urged the public to carefully check the level of iodine before buying salt.

"It is urgent that the people themselves check it because it is hard for security officers to inspect all salt products on the market," he said. --JP