Total diet study: determination of iodine intake by neutron activation analysis.

Composite food samples from adult, infant, and toddler market baskets of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Total Diet Study for Fiscal Year 1980 were analyzed for iodine by neutron activation analysis (NAA) at the FDA NAA laboratory at the National Bureau of Standards. The mean iodine content of the total diets was 412, 397, and 410 micrograms, per day for adult (2,900 kcal per day), infant, and toddler diets, respectively. These intakes correspond with 275%, 882%, and 586% of the adult, infant, and toddler Recommended Dietary Allowances, respectively. Dairy products and iodate-containing breads were major dietary sources of iodine. The iodine values for total diets reported here, determined by NAA, are from 11% to 15% higher than those determined by colorimetric analysis at FDA's Kansas City Field Office Laboratory.