Elements in human body

Toulsen et al. (1994) appear to use the term reference interval as synonymous with reference range. In a paper titled Trace element reference values. . . , the authors emphasize that knowledge of the reference intervals (baseline data) for the trace elements in human body fluids and tissues is of paramount importance. ... 

VersieckJ. 1985. Trace elements in human body fluids and tissues. CRC Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 22 97-184. 

Several ISO guidelines address the use of certified reference materials [5,36-38], and certified reference materials from BCR and NIST are available for some trace elements in human body fluids, e.g., the BCR CRM 194-196 for Cd and Pb in whole blood. Due to the relatively high cost and limited availability of the CRMs, these materials can only occasionally be used for the internal quality control. Alternatively, the laboratory may prepare or purchase reference/control materials calibrated against and therefore traceable to CRMs [5]. 

Very careful analysis of trace elements can have a major effect on human life. A notable example can be seen in the career of Clair Patterson (1922-1995) (memoir by Flagel 1996), who made it his life s work to assess the origins and concentrations of lead in the atmosphere and in human bodies minute quantities had to be measured and contaminant lead from unexpected sources had to be identified in his analyses, leading to techniques of clean analysis . A direct consequence of Patterson s scrupulous work was a worldwide policy shift banning lead in gasoline and manufactured products. 

Animals, including humans, create their body tissues from the food they consume all the substances that constitute their bodies are derived from food. Food is, therefore, essential for their survival, and food and the search for adequate supplies of food have determined, and still determine, the life-patterns of ancient as well as of modem people. The study of past human feeding habits and their diets is, therefore, central to the understanding of ancient societies. A large number of studies have shown that there is strong correlation between the type food consumed and the relative amounts of the stable isotopes of some elements in the body or in its dead remains. This seems to confirm an axiom generally recognized in science, that "You are what you eat."... 

The human body is composed of 60 to 70 percent water, and water contains twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms. If two-thirds of every water molecule is hydrogen and if water makes up 60 percent of the body, it seems logical to conclude that hydrogen makes up 40 percent of the body. Yet hydrogen is only the third most abundant element in the body by mass. What gives ... 

Calcium is an essential element in human bones and teeth. Since strontium behaves much like calcium, strontium-90 gets into our bones and teeth and gives off radioactivity for many years directly into our bodies. 

Element Symbol Role in human body chemistry... 

The discovery of a variety of zinc (Zn) related clinical disorders has directly demonstrated the importance of zinc in human nutrition. It is second to iron as the- most abundant trace element in the body. 

The average amounts of some essential and non-essential elements in the human body are shown in Table 2.1. This shows that the weights of some of the essential elements in the body vary by six or more orders of magnitude. Oxygen, at 45 kg, is by far the most abundant element with the majority being present as one simple inorganic compound water. Some of the elements listed in Table 2.1, and marked with an asterisk, have no known beneficial function and are present in the body simply because they are present in rocks and soils and find their way into water and foodstuffs and from thence into the human body many of these elements are present in only minute quantities. 

The accompanying table lists the essential elements in the human body. Of special interest are the trace elements, such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iodine (I), and cobalt (Co), which together make up about one percent of the body s mass. These elements are necessary for biological functions such as growth, transport of oxygen for metabolism, and defense against disease. There is a delicate balance in the amounts of these elements in our bodies. Too much or too little over an extended period of time can lead to serious illness, retardation, or even death. 

The chemical elements are essential to each of us in our daily lives. The most important element is carbon, which is found in virtually all of the molecules that make up the living cell. Although certain elements are present in our bodies in tiny amounts, these elements can have profound effects on our health and behavior. As we will see in this chapter, lithium can be a miracle treatment for someone with manic-depressive disease, and our cobalt levels can have a remarkable impact on behavior. Many elements in our bodies serve no useful purpose, but they are found in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. As a result, the human body typically contains significant amounts of elements such as aluminum, barium, strontium, uranium, and gold, which are usually deposited in the bones or liver. 

Iodine is an essential element in humans and other mammals, which is used for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones play a prominent role in the metabolism of most cells of the organism and in the process of early growth and development of most organs, especially brain (Anderson et al., 2000). Besides T3 and T4, reverse T3 (rT3), monoiodotyrosine (MIT), and diiodotyrosine (DIT) are also synthesized and distributed in the body of humans and animals, but only T3 and T4 have a biological function. Iodine in the human body mainly comes through dietary and water intake, and inhalation of atmospheric iodine. Due to low concentrations of iodine in the air (10—20ng/m ), food and water intake form the major source of iodine for adults, while for infants it is milk. The concentration of iodine in foodstuffs is directly related to that in the environment where the foods come from. Iodine deficiency disorders are mainly found in places where the concentration of iodine in the soil and drinking water is very low. In the water, foodsmffs, and... 

An optimum level of main and trace elements is required for a number of metabolic and physiological processes in the human body since both deficiency and excess may lead to different metabolic disorders. However, there is a paucity of reliable data regarding elements in human tissues. This is especially true concerning normal aged human brains and the brains of AD patients. 

Several essential amino acids contain sulfur therefore, sulfur is found in the proteins in human bodies. With the exception of the alkali metals and alkaline earth metals (the first two columns in the periodic table), virtually all of the metals and semimetals form compounds with sulfur, usually as sulfides (containing the ion S ") or as sulfates (containing the ion SO ). Therefore, because sulfur is such a common element in Earth s crust, there are large deposits of minerals that contain... 

The results of FDMS as a microanalytical method for the determination of the trace element lithium in human body fluids, such as plasma, saliva and urine are shown in Table 8. 

Besides the levels of trace elements in our bodies, the various substances in the water, the food we consume, and the air we breathe also are of great importance to our health. For example, many scientists are concerned about our exposure to aluminum, through aluminum compounds used in water purification, baked goods and cheese (sodium aluminum phosphate acts as a leavening agent and also is added to cheese to make it softer and easier to melt), and the aluminum that dissolves from our cookware and utensils. The effects of exposure to low levels of aluminum on humans are not presently clear, but there are some indications that we should limit our intake of this element. 

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