Iodine is an important micronutrient, a vitamin or mineral that is necessary for good health. It helps the body to produce hormones, helps babies develop in the womb, and is important to many other body processes. In 1924, iodine was added to salt to make up for a lack of public access to dairy foods and ocean fish, which are natural sources of iodine. The modern American diet, however, includes many processed foods that contain iodine. As a result, many salt manufacturers have stopped adding iodine to their product, a change that did not get much attention in the media. Some nutrition experts are concerned that people who still rely on table salt as a source of iodine will have an increase in disease caused by a diet lacking in the micronutrient. Only time will tell, as America moves into a new era where table salt is no longer a guaranteed source of iodine.

Question

Iodine is an important micronutrient, a vitamin or mineral that is necessary for good health. It helps the body to produce hormones, helps babies develop in the womb, and is important to many other body processes. In 1924, iodine was added to salt to make up for a lack of public access to dairy foods and ocean fish, which are natural sources of iodine. The modern American diet, however, includes many processed foods that contain iodine. As a result, many salt manufacturers have stopped adding iodine to their product, a change that did not get much attention in the media. Some nutrition experts are concerned that people who still rely on table salt as a source of iodine will have an increase in disease caused by a diet lacking in the micronutrient. Only time will tell, as America moves into a new era where table salt is no longer a guaranteed source of iodine.

In 1–2 sentences, identify and explain the evidence that the author uses to support the idea that taking iodine out of table salt might cause harm.

Answer 1

The author mentions that iodine is necessary for good health and that it helps the body to produce hormones and babies to develop in the womb. They also state that many processed foods containing iodine have replaced the need for iodized salt, and some nutrition experts are concerned about the potential increase in diseases caused by a lack of iodine in the diet.

Answer 2

Many fire-prone California towns don’t plan for evacuations

Counterintuitive as it may sound, Paradise has some of the strongest evacuation planning in California. In fact, a USA TODAY Network-California survey of communities at high risk from wildfires found only 22% (including Paradise) have a robust, publicly available evacuation plan.

The scale of disaster in the Camp Fire was unprecedented, but the scene of people fleeing wildfires was familiar, repeated numerous times over the past three years up and down California from Redding and Paradise to Santa Rosa, Ventura, and Malibu.

In many of those communities, motorists became stuck in traffic as officials tried to evacuate thousands onto a few roads leading away from the flames.

NO REQUIREMENT TO PLAN

The 85 deaths and nearly 19,000 buildings destroyed in Paradise’s Camp Fire made it the deadliest and most destructive blaze in California history. Eight of those who perished were found in their vehicles, with two others found outside their vehicles.

In some spots, burned-out and abandoned vehicles lined roads leading out of town.

Should cities be required to have detailed evacuation plans? In 3–5 sentences, answer the question and provide specific textual evidence to support your analysis.

(4 points)

Answer 3

The evidence the author uses to support the idea that taking iodine out of table salt might cause harm is that iodine is an essential micronutrient necessary for good health, and its deficiency can lead to diseases and health problems. Additionally, the author mentions that the modern American diet includes many processed foods that contain iodine, implying that reliance on these processed foods for iodine may not be sufficient to meet the body's requirements.

Answer 4

The evidence that the author uses to support the idea that taking iodine out of table salt might cause harm is the concern raised by nutrition experts about people relying on table salt as a source of iodine and the potential increase in disease caused by a diet lacking in this micronutrient.