Zinc

What is Zinc?

Zinc, like copper, is an abundant mineral in the Earth's crust and an essential mineral to sustaining human life. Zinc is a bluish gray metal in the Earth that tarnishes when exposed to moist air. It is moderately reactive, malleable, and non-magnetic. When zinc is burned it has a bluish-green flame and gives off zinc oxide gas. Zinc is often combined with other metals to form zinc compounds.

What Products is Zinc found in?

Zinc is found in a variety of products people use in daily life without ever thinking about it. Zinc compounds are used to make ink, rubber, ointments, dyes and wood preservatives. Other uses of zinc include, but are not limited to:

- Galvanizing steal

- Used in pennies made before 1982

- Die casting in automobiles

- Battery containers

- Pipe organs

- Used in deodorants

- Luminescent pigments in glowing products such as watch hands

- Calamine lotion

- Shampoo

How can a Person be Exposed to Zinc?

Because zinc is so abundant and an essential mineral, we are all exposed to zinc everyday and in fact, we need to be exposed to zinc to live a healthy life. It is estimated that 3000 of the proteins in our bodies contain zinc prosthetic groups. However, overexposure to zinc can be harmful to the body if a person is exposed to 10 to 15 times the recommended amount of zinc per day. The most common ways a body is exposed to zinc is through ingestion or inhalation. Common sources of over exposure are:

- Taking too many dietary supplements

- Drinking water from containers or pipes lined with zinc

- Drinking contaminated water

- Working a job as a painter, miner, welder, manufacturing brass or bronze, manufacturer of machine parts, batteries, rubber, linoleum, and paint

What are the Effects of Overexposure to Zinc?

Large doses of zinc taken by mouth over a short time span can cause nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. Taken over a longer period of time it can cause anemia and lower good cholesterol. Studies performed on rats ingesting too much zinc over a period of time led to infertility. Inhalation of zinc dust can cause a disease known as metal fume fever.

What Steps can be Taken to Prevent Zinc Poisoning?

The simplest ways to protect your family from overexposure to zinc are by testing your families drinking water and dust in the house with an at home Heavy Metal Screen Test kit and by discouraging your children from putting their hands in their mouth after playing in the dirt.

For more information on zinc, its sources, and zinc poisoning, check out these sites:

- Wikipedia

- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Copper

What does copper look like?

Unlike most metals, which are usually silvery white, copper has a pinkish gold color. It is ductile and rather supple in its pure state; an excellent conductor of electricity and heat.

What are some uses for copper?

Copper has been used for thousands of years for coinage, cookware, armor and a variety of other uses because of its easy accessibility and malleability. In modern times copper is used for numerous applications, in fact too many to list on this page. But here are a few of the more common uses for copper in today's society:

- Electrical wire

- Electromagnets

- Magnetron in microwave ovens

- Roofing materials

- The Statue of Liberty

- Plumbing

- Cookware

- Coins

How does one come into contact with Copper?

Copper is an essential nutrient to plants and animals and therefore is usually found in the human bloodstream. A small amount of copper in the body is needed for basic functioning, however, in excess amount copper can be poisonous. A person can be exposed to excess copper through copper in the air near smelting factories, in drinking water from running through old copper pipes, food, ingesting copper containing fungicides, and from excess skin contact.

What are the Effects of Overexposure to Copper?

- Nose and throat irritation

- Nausea

- Vomiting

- Diarrhea

- Kidney or liver damage

- Death

Reducing exposure to Copper:

The most likely source of exposure to copper is through drinking water so the best ways to reduce overexposure is to run the faucet for at least 15 seconds in the morning, especially if you have copper pipes. Also, you can buy a water filter system. One company that makes products especially for this is Waiora, they have a large line of detoxification and wellness products.

Testing for Copper in the Body:

A blood, urine or feces test at a doctor's office can test for copper in the body but cannot determine exact amounts without further, specialized testing. An easy, at home way of testing for overexposure to copper is a Heavy Metal Screen Test kit.

For more information on Copper and Copper Poisoning:

- Wikipedia

- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Aluminum

What is Aluminum?

Aluminum or aluminium, is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust and third most abundant in every layer thereafter. Aluminum makes up about 8% of the Earth's total weight of the solid surface. Because of aluminum's reactive nature, it is not found naturally by itself, but combined with over 270 other minerals including: silicon, fluorine, and the chief source of aluminum, bauxite ore.

Where is Aluminum Used?

Aluminum has been used commercially for over 100 years, in fact, the capstone on the Washington Monument is entirely aluminum. Aluminum is currently the most widely used non-ferrous (lead based) metal on Earth. Because of its malleability and its light-weight properties aluminum is used for:

- Transportation

- Packaging

- Water Treatment

- Construction

- Electrical Lines

- And many other applications

How does Aluminum enter the Body?

Because of the abundance of aluminum on the Earth, there is some in almost all air, soil, water and food that people come into contact with daily. The most common ways that aluminum enters the body include inhalation through aluminum contaminated dust, especially around factories using aluminum, ingesting aluminum in antacids and citrus drinks. Aluminum is also used in antiperspirants where some researchers believe it may lead to breast cancer, and small amounts of aluminum exposure comes from various vaccinations.

What Happens when Aluminum enters the Body?
Exposure to aluminum is usually not harmful in small amounts, but prolonged exposure and high levels of aluminum exposure can cause serious health problems. These problems include:

- Lung problems

- Decreased nervous system function

- Skin rashes

- May lead to Alzheimer's

- Osteopenia

- Neurotoxicity

Avoiding Exposure to Aluminum.
Because aluminum is so abundant on the Earth, it is almost impossible to completely avoid exposure to aluminum. Steps that can be taken to avoid over exposure include reducing use of antacids, using water filters, and avoiding over exposure to dust containing aluminum.

Testing for aluminum exposure can be performed at a doctor's office using blood, feces, bone, or urine. To actually measure the amount of aluminum in the body, special equipment must be used that is not readily found in most doctor's offices.

For more information on Aluminum, check out these references.

- Wikipedia

- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry