If there was ever a mineral that we cannot live without it is sphalerite! Its key ingredient is the element zinc. Zinc, also known as the great protector, has many uses, the most familiar being as a coating of steel to prevent it from rusting. But zinc oxide is also an ingredient in sunscreen and diaper ointment, and zinc is alloyed with copper to make brass.
Zinc is essential to all living things, including us. It is used to generate cells, to make our bones and organs grow, and to develop healthy functioning brains. We ingest zinc in our food – especially things like meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, and dairy. Whether we eat plants or animals, the zinc ultimately comes from minerals broken down in the soil.
The World Health Organization estimates that 2 billion people do not have enough zinc in their diets because their diets are mostly plant-based and/or the soils in the region are zinc poor. Many organizations are partnering with zinc-producers, including Vancouver-based Teck Resources, to provide zinc therapies and supplements to those in need, to add zinc to fertilizers to improve poor soils, and to fortify food products, such flour and rice, to improve nutrition and health around the world.