Zinc is a bluish-white lustrous metallic element that becomes malleable on heating. The name ‘˜zinc’ originates from the German word zin, which means tin. The Romans (Augustus, 20 B.C. ‘“ 14 A.D.) used zinc for making brass. Zinc was found to be used in India around 1374 where it was used in the making of brass and zinc oxide for medicinal purposes. The knowledge of utilising zinc for industrial purposes took hold in Europe in the 16th century and in China in the 17th century.

Fact 1. Zinc is omnipresent in rocks, soil, air, water and even in the internal bodies of living organisms that is humans, plants and animals.

Fact 2. It is estimated that the first mile of the earth’s crust under land contains 224,000,000 million tonnes of zinc. Under the sea, the seabed contains another 15 million tons of zinc whereas each cubic mile of seawater contains an estimated one tonne of zinc.

Fact 3.  Zinc is an essential element for the physiology of the body starting from the growth of the cell to the skin and bones. Zinc is not produced internally and has to be ingested either by food such as oysters and meat or supplements.

Fact 4.   The most common sign of a deficiency in zinc is white spots on the fingernails. Alcohol depletes zinc and this is a common sign amongst alcoholics.

Fact 5.  Among undernourished societies in Africa, zinc tablets have been found to be beneficial in curbing diarrhoea and have successfully brought down the number of deaths due to diarrhoea.

Fact 6.   Of the 11 million tonnes of zinc produced annually, an estimated 50% is used as an anti-rust protector for steel.
Fact 7. The US penny constitutes 98% of zinc with a copper coating.

Fact 8.  An estimated 40% of the world’s zinc is sourced from recycling ventures. Zinc is recycled from scrap at the production stage, during manufacturing and at the obsolescence phase.

Fact 9. Zinc supplements are a popular remedy for cold. It will not prevent upper respiratory infections but taking a supplement at the start of a cold has been shown to reduce the duration of the illness.

Fact 10.  Zinc supplements could also function as a memory booster as a lack of zinc could influence neurotransmitters and vitamin B6.  Intriguingly, it has the opposite effect of decreasing the intellectual capacity of   Alzheimer’s disease patients.