In vivo uptake of iodine from a Fucus serratus Linnaeus seaweed bath: does volatile iodine contribute?

Tarha Westby, Aodhmar Cadogan, Geraldine Duignan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Seaweed baths containing Fucus serratus Linnaeus are a rich source of iodine which has the potential to increase the urinary iodide concentration (UIC) of the bather. In this study, the range of total iodine concentration in seawater (22–105 µg L−1) and seaweed baths (808–13,734 µg L−1) was measured over 1 year. The seasonal trend shows minimum levels in summer (May–July) and maximum in winter (November–January). The bathwater pH was found to be acidic, average pH 5.9 ± 0.3. An in vivo study with 30 volunteers was undertaken to measure the UIC of 15 bathers immersed in the bath and 15 non-bathers sitting adjacent to the bath. Their UIC was analysed pre- and post-seaweed bath and corrected for creatinine concentration. The corrected UIC of the population shows an increase following the seaweed bath from a pre-treatment median of 76 µg L−1 to a post-treatment median of 95 µg L−1. The pre-treatment UIC for both groups did not indicate significant difference (p = 0.479); however, the post-treatment UIC for both did (p = 0.015) where the median bather test UIC was 86 µg L−1 and the non-bather UIC test was 105 µg L−1. Results indicate the bath has the potential to increase the UIC by a significant amount and that inhalation of volatile iodine is a more significant contributor to UIC than previously documented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)683-691
Number of pages9
JournalEnvironmental Geochemistry and Health
Volume40
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2018

Keywords

  • Fucus serratus Linnaeus
  • Inhalation
  • Iodine
  • Seaweed bath thalassotherapy
  • Urinary iodine
  • pH

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