Nickel is a hard, silvery-white metal whose strength, ductility
and resistance to heat and corrosion make it extremely useful for the
development of a wide variety of materials — from wires to coins to military
equipment.
This extremely useful metal is No. 28
in the periodic table of the elements, between the elements cobalt and
copper. Nickel is a fairly good conductor of electricity and heat and is one of
only four elements (cobalt, iron, nickel and gadolinium) that are ferromagnetic
(magnetized easily) at room temperature. Nickel is a transition metal, meaning
it has valence electrons in two shells instead of one, allowing it to form
several different oxidation states.
Nickel is an essential element for
healthy plant life, and trace amounts are naturally found in most vegetables,
fruits, nuts and in slightly greater amounts in chocolate and wine, according
to the Nickel Institute.
But like most metals, nickel has a
dark side when too much enters the human body. When large amounts of nickel —
which is a known carcinogenic — accumulate in the soil, air, or our food and
water supply, there are risks of toxicity.
People who work in jobs of nickel
refining, electroplating and welding are at the greatest risk for health
problems. Workers who breathe in traces of nickel dust are at an increased risk
for lung cancer, fibrosis and other ailments.
In 2012, 25 nickel-plating workers in
Egypt were given liver function tests. The results overwhelmingly
showed poor liver function among the nickel workers compared to the control
group. Another study in Saudi Arabia also exposed the toxic effects
of nickel exposure on the lungs and airway, but the researchers also discovered
an interesting fact: ingesting dietary curcumin, the active ingredient in the
spice turmeric, was linked to a significant reduction in toxicity and
oxidative stress....
By
Mrs.
K. Pavithra
Assistant
Professor
Department
of Biochemistry
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