Joisha Girme / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Purnendu Dasgupta
Iodine is a crucial element for the human body to synthesize
thyroid hormones. Insufficient intake may lead to Iodine
Deficiency Disorders (IDD) that initially manifests itself by the enlargement of the thyroid gland. Despite its pivotal role, population-wide Iodine intake is inadequate in many countries, including the United States. This is the reason salt is iodized, in most places with iodate but in North America with iodide.
Only 20% of the salt we consume, however, is iodized. Despite salt iodization efforts, decadal nutrition studies conducted by the CDC show that iodine deficiency persists. A particular concern
centers on the health of pregnant women as well as the neurodevelopment of the fetus and then the infant. A substantial fraction of pregnant women have been reported to be iodine deficient and -47 % of lactating mothers may not be providing their infants with adequate iodine. Iodine nutrition is
typically measured through urinary iodine excretion. While ICP-MS is presently considered the gold standard for this measurement, there is clearly a need for routine in-office iodine measurement by obstetricians and pediatricians. This talk discusses prevailing challenges in iodine detection within urine
and explores alternative methodologies. We will present preliminary data on direct potentiometric measurement of iodide in a high chloride medium like urine
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