Zinc Facts
Several Zinc Facts Worth Knowing
Here are a few zinc facts, some may be of interest, others not so much, but there are others which are really quite important to us. Zinc is one of the more abundant elements in the earth. Only aluminum, copper, and iron are mined in greater quantities. The most common uses of zinc include use in alloys, for galvanizing, and in the production of pennies. Our one cent pieces consist of zinc with a copper coating. Several zinc compounds enjoy wide usage, such as zinc oxide, used in sunscreen ointments, some healing ointments, and as a zinc fortifying agent for breads and cereals.
From the viewpoint of chemistry, zinc is one of the so-called transition elements. Zinc has many friends, combining easily with oxygen, carbon, sulfur and other elements, to form some useful compounds, such as the aforementioned zinc oxide. There are a number of zinc isotopes (an atom having an abnormal number of protons), including a number which are radioactive. You needn't worry about the pennies you carry around in your pocket though. Radioactive zinc isotopes do not exist naturally in significant quantities. All in all, zinc can be said to have a rather busy, perhaps even wild, lifestyle.
The zinc facts that are of greatest importance to you have little to do with pennies or metallurgy. Zinc is an essential element in our body. We don't need very much of it, but we do need it. Zinc is essential to the proper functioning of almost every organ in our body. It is critical to the formation of cell reproduction, hence growth, it is essential to the health of our immune systems, and to the functioning of the liver and thyroid gland, and much more.
Some of the zinc facts you should be aware because they are of significant importance, have to do with the amount of zinc present in the body. A typical person will have 2 to 4 grams of zinc in their body at any one time. Children will have a bit less, though it is critical to infants that they have enough, and pregnant women require a gram or two more. Since the body uses zinc but does not create it, the supply must be constantly replenished. When we have something other than a proper amount of zinc stored in our body, our health can suffer.
An excess of zinc causes one set of problems, and a deficiency causes another. A zinc deficiency often manifests itself in the form of skin problems, such as eczema or lesions, while more severe symptoms include an onset of liver problems, and even diabetes. Fortunately, in most parts of the world, the required amount of zinc is provided in the diet. Zinc is provided through seafood, meat and poultry, vegetables, nuts and grains. A shortage or absence of more than one of these food types could lead to a zinc deficiency.
An excess supply of zinc in the body can prevent adequate amounts of iron or copper from being absorbed. Iron and copper are also elements essential to our well-being. The symptoms which may occur in this case, relate more closely to iron or copper deficiencies rather than to an excess of zinc. The onset of anemia, caused by iron deficiency, is a good example. In an extreme case, an excess of zinc can become toxic. This is most likely to occur if pure zinc is taken in through the mouth. Zinc poisoning is a seldom occurrence in humans and is most commonly encountered in animals, especially dogs.
While some of the above zinc facts could be considered to be of a rather trivial nature, it is well to be armed with knowledge of the importance of zinc to our health and well-being.