Calling for universal salt iodization, Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) noted: For the 4,000 children in question, iodized salt could have made all the difference. Many would have been spared from thyroid cancer.

And amid all the other vast numbers - 400,000 people uprooted from their homes; five million still living in contaminated areas; 100,000 still dependent on humanitarian aid - it is too easy to overlook what is small: a drop of iodine costing just a few cents.

The areas affected by Chernobyl were iodine deficient before the disaster, and are still iodine deficient today. Despite many efforts to get legislation passed on universal salt iodization (USI) in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the issue is still being debated.

After twenty years, there can be no excuse for further delay, said chess Grand Master Anatoly Karpov, UNICEF Regional Ambassador. Universal salt iodization is the most effective way to ensure that every child gets enough iodine. It is also the cheapest way “ costing only 4 US cents per person, per year. Just one teaspoon of iodine consumed over the course of a lifetime can provide a high degree of protection against a range of iodine deficiency disorders.

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) are the world ™s leading cause of mental retardation and can lower the average IQ of a population by as much as 15 points. IDD is a danger to pregnant women and young children. Even mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy can affect foetal brain development and, as a result, up to 2.4 million babies are born each year in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States with mental impairment.

UNICEF is urging the governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine to legislate for universal salt iodization and is working with salt producers and the general public to raise awareness of the importance of iodine.

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Calcium intake increased for most age-gender categories, including adolescent females. Despite the increase, calcium intake is well below the recommended levels for adolescent and young adult women. The Adequate Intake for calcium is 1,300 milligrams per day for 9-18-year-old females, but the study found the group's average consumption was only 814 milligrams per day. The problem is especially serious among African-American females. Average regular carbonated soft drink (RCSD) consumption increased in most age-gender categories, with the highest consumption being in the 20-39-year-old category. Soft drink consumption was not associated with lower calcium intake, except for a small association among females 40-59 years old. Fluid milk was the only variable that had a strong association with calcium intake. Average milk consumption decreased in the 6-11-year-old age category, but was unchanged or higher in the other age-gender categories. Many categories that showed increased average RCSD consumption had no change in average milk consumption. Females 40-59 years, the only category to have a significant increase in average milk consumption, also had a significant increase in average RCSD consumption.

Recommendations

"Consumption of low-fat milk and dairy products should continue to be encouraged," says Forshee. "And it is time to seriously consider carefully targeted calcium fortification programs and calcium supplementation to help adolescent and young females meet their recommended calcium intake levels."

"Changing diet and eating behavior is very difficult. We need to develop strategies for getting more calcium into the diet, especially of the very vulnerable population of young women," said Maureen Storey.

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