62% of school-age children and 85% of pregnant women in Israel have low iodine intakes, according to the country's first national iodine survey. Government funding and legislation, and a government-regulated program of salt or food iodization, are essential to reducing the deficiency, which poses a high risk of impaired neurological development.

From left, researchers Dov Gefel, Yaniv Ovadia, Aron Troen and Jonathan Arbelle  

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170327083438.htm

http://www.jta.org/2017/03/27/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/researchers-find-israeli-children-at-risk-from-iron-deficiency-likely-due-to-desalinated-water

http://www.haaretz.com/science-and-health/1.779776