Iodine is an element that people need as part of their diet. It’s a halogen that has 53 electrons and protons and there are 7 valence electrons on the elements outer shell. It has a high melting and boiling point, is solid at room temperature, but it is much less active than some of the other elements in its family, such as fluorine or chlorine.
1. It Is Pretty Rare
Iodine can be found in the oceans and in the crust of the Earth, but it is a fairly rare element. It’s found in mater more often than the ground, so some forms of seaweed that process seawater can have iodine in high concentrations. It’s also found in high amounts near natural gas or oil reserves.
2. It Kills Germs
One of the most useful features of iodine is that it can kill germs. This makes it an efficient antiseptic and it is often applied to to cuts or injuries to prevent them from being infected. That’s also why it hurts. It creates a sanitary condition.
3. It Is Radioactive
The radioactive nature of iodine makes it very helpful for certain medical diseases or injuries. It is used in dyes that can show up on diagnostic machines to show doctors what is going on with someone so that they can be effectively treated.
4. Foods Are Safe
Iodine is often used in feed for animals because of its antiseptic nature. Rather than use antibiotics that can build up in animal tissues and then become part of the human food chain, iodine is used because it is an essential element and allows animals to eat foods that are completely safe.
5. Make It Rain
Iodine has also been found to be effective in cloud seeding. When sprayed in the atmosphere, it leads to cloud development if there is enough moisture in the air and that can then lead to a rainy day if the conditions are right for it.
6. Accidents Might Happen
The discovery of iodine in 1811 happened quite by accident. A French chemist by the name of Bernard Courtois was running a series of experiments on seaweed when he managed to stumble upon the element. It was later considered an element and the name for it comes from an old Greek word for the color violent.
7. There’s Some Weight To It
Out of all the elements that are needed for human health and life, iodine is the heaviest of all of them. Any seafood products are going to be rich in this element and iodine is often added to salt as an effective way to get enough of it in a diet.
8. You’ve Got to Have It
When women become pregnant, they need to have more iodine in their diet to support their own health throughout the pregnancy. Because of the high mercury contents of many seafood products, however, ocean diets are often not recommended. A dietary supplement is often recommended.
9. Just Say No
It is important to be careful when taking iodine. Too much of it can make someone extremely sick. That’s why taking it under close medical supervision is often the best course of action.