People underestimate just how much minor public health measures can dramatically improve livelihood and overall prosperity.
Before the advent of iodized salt, the prevalence of goiter in certain cities in Michigan was as high as 60%. This also led to various mental deficiencies in people in those regions. It turns out this was a direct consequence of the soil in the Midwest being naturally deficient in iodine, leading to drinking water not naturally supplementing the diet of those who lived there. Iodized salt, introduced in the 1920s, almost completely eradicated goiter in the developing world.
Before the advent of iodized salt, the prevalence of goiter in certain cities in Michigan was as high as 60%. This also led to various mental deficiencies in people in those regions. It turns out this was a direct consequence of the soil in the Midwest being naturally deficient in iodine, leading to drinking water not naturally supplementing the diet of those who lived there. Iodized salt, introduced in the 1920s, almost completely eradicated goiter in the developing world.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509517/#:~:tex....