© 1978 Oxford University Press
research-article |
Geologic Implications in the Distribution of Endemic Goiter in Colombia, South America
1Associate ProfessorDepartment of Earth Sciences, Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
2Professor of MedicineDepartment of Medicine, Division of Health Sciences, Universidad del Valle Cali, Colombia University of Alabama Medical School Birmingham, Alabama, USA
3Formerly Clinical Research Fellow in EndocrinologyDepartment of Medicine, Division of Health Sciences, Universidad del Valle Cali, Colombia
4Associate ProfessorDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Community Health, University of Washington Seattle, Washington, USA
A survey of 37 communities supplied by stream water and receiving iodised salt for the last 1020 years indicates that the presence of sedimentary rocks in the watersheds of streams more closely correlates with goiter prevalence than 12 other possible causative variables. These results support the hypothesis that sedimentary rocks rich in organic matter are the main source of water-borne goitrogens.
Received 18 August 1977