Use of Iodine for Disinfection

Abstract

This article discusses a study to determine the effectiveness of iodine as a water disinfectant, and to determine the health effects of this type of disinfection on a human population. The water in two water systems supplying three Florida correctional institutions and serving a total of approximately 700 people has been continuously disinfected with iodine for a period of 19 months under carefully planned chemical, bacteriologic, and medical controls. To date, 57 mil gal of water has been iodinated. The studies will continue until June 1966.

Iodine Disinfection of Water

“…Rarely, mothers ingesting large doses of iodide may give birth to babies with thyroid goiters, but , here too, the amount of iodide ingested daily has been great. 14 The administration of several milligrams of iodide daily may induce a transient inhibition of thyroid hormone synthesis (WolffChaikoff effect), but the normal thyroid gland compensates readily to the increased iodide 10ad.IG Patients with thyroiditis or other thyroid disease, however, may not have the capacity to make such an adaptation, and iodide-induced hypothyroidism does sometimes occur in such patients.1 6 No instance of hypothyroidism was noted in any of the subjects drinking iodinated water in this study, but the possibility remains for such an occurrence in susceptible individuals.…”

“…Comparative data indicate that disinfection of an Olympic-size swimming pool can be accomplished with iodine at half the cost of chlorination. 6 jority of subjects had slight decrease in RAJ uptake after exposure to iodinated water, but variation was such that predictable changes for other users of such paols are not possible.…”

The disinfection of swimming pool water. II. A field study of the disinfection of public swimming pools.

“…Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated with about the same frequency as coliforms. 5. The bacteriological data clearly show the importance of pH to the bactericidal effectiveness of chlorine.…”

Use of iodine for water disinfection: iodine toxicity and maximum recommended dose.

“…Iodide has no disinfectant activity; however, iodine is rapidly converted to iodide in the stomach and absorbed into the blood. Water disinfection with halogens is a first-order chemical reaction: the primary variables are aqueous concentration of halogen and the time it is in contact with the microorganism (9,10 (6).…”