Several international groups have made recommendations, which are fairly similar. ICCIDD, WHO, and UNICEF recommend the following daily amounts:
- age 0-7 years, 90 micrograms (mcg)
- age 7-12 years, 120 mcg
- older than 12 years, 150 mcg
- pregnant and lactating women, 200 mcg
The US National Academy of Sciences offers similar recommendations. It calculates an "Estimated Average Requirement" and from that derives an RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). If sufficient data are not available an "Adequate Intake" is calculated, which may be set higher than the RDA, to ensure sufficient intake. The recommendations for daily intake are as follows: the AI for infants 0-6 months is 110 mcg iodine and for 7-12 months, it is 130 mcg. The RDAs are: 1-8 years old, 90 mcg; 9-13 years, 120 mcg; 14 and older, 150 mcg; pregnancy, 220 mcg; lactation, 290 mcg. The Food and Nutrition Board also has set the tolerable upper limit of daily iodine intake as 1.1 mg (1100 mcg) for adults, with proportionately lower levels for younger age groups.
