There is a strategy being implemented now in Belarus that involves obligatory application of high quality iodized salt in food industry; it has resulted in iodine deficiency elimination among population. Sales of iodized salt account for more than 70 % of the overall salt sales in retail outlets. However, attention paid to the issue has started to decline recently, including mass media; at present there is no social advertising that informs people about iodized salt being useful for their health. Our research object was population awareness about various aspects related to prevention of diseases caused by iodine deficiency and objective indicators of iodine provision. Our research goal was to determine probable risks of iodine deficiency prophylaxis becoming less efficient and to substantiate ways how to prevent negative trends. Data and methods. We assessed population awareness on iodine deficiency via questioning; overall, 805 people living in Belarus took part in it. Alimentary exposure to iodine was calculated for various scenarios taking into account natural iodine contents and artificially added iodine in food products as well as consumption volumes. Ioduria was assessed with cerium-arsenite technique. We considered dynamics in morbidity with simple goiter and congenital hypothyroidism to be indicators of iodine provision. Basic results. We detected that most respondents, 658 (81.7 %, 95 % CI 78.8-84.7) to be exact, thoughts that their therapists were the primary source of knowledge on health-related issues; 176 (21.9 %, 95 % CI 15.8-28.0) trusted mass media including the Internet. More than half respondents (61.4 %, 95 % CI 60.8-62.0 %) and medical personnel statistically significantly more frequently (77.1 %, 95 % CI 70.7-83.61 %) believed there was a iodine deficiency problem existing in the country. We didn't detect any risk of excessive iodine introduction with food products. Selective monitoring over ioduria among children proves their iodine provision is quite appropriate as it amounts to more than 100 µg/l. Dynamics of primary morbidity with congenital hypothyroidism confirms that stable positive results have been achieved in the sphere; in 2006 primary morbidity was equal to 1.96 per 100 thousand people, but in 2017 it dropped to 0.96 per 100 thousand people. It proves that Belarus is among countries where population consume proper amounts of iodine. But an arising trend for lower awareness about iodine deficiency calls for more active risk communication about possible diseases related to iodine deficiency, including mass media campaigns.

To reduce population health risks which occur when people consume drinking water from centralized water supply systems is a vital medical-biologic and technical problem. It can be sold, among other things, via development and application of new materials for water purification and treatment. Some natural and artificial nanomaterials have antimicrobic properties as they can eliminate microorganisms of various taxonomy (bacteria, yeastlike and mold fungi) and bacterial biofilms. However, certain results which were obtained when antimicrobic potential of nanomaterials was estimated are controversial; they are frequently only qualitative or semi-quantitative due to absence of a standard test protocol and well-grounded criterial assessment apparatus. So, the goal of this paper was to give methodological grounds and to create a unified and standardized test-model; to optimize parameters of a procedure and to substantiate a system of criteria applied for quantitative assessment of antimicrobic activity which is characteristic for nanomaterials applied for water purification and treatment. The research was performed on the following objects: samples of nanomaterials based on titanium dioxide which were applied for water purification and treatment. The authors have substantiated a test-model, suggested a criterion index R DDS , made up a standard test protocol for quantitative assessment of antimicrobic potential possessed by nanomaterials. The developed technology has been tested on samples of nanomaterials based on titanium dioxide. We have calculated and assessed metrological parameters of the procedure (repeatability standard deviation and repeatability limit) which conform to the requirements existing for similar procedures when confidence probability is assumed to be equal to 95 %; such requirements are fixed by the ISO (International Standardization Organization) and correspond to the GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) principles. The relevance of the test-model was validated; this relevance provides an objective quantitative assessment of antimicrobic potential which is possessed by materials applied for disinfection of water objects contaminated with microbiota of various taxonomy, as well as for control and prevention of bacterial infections which can be communicated with water.