Zinc Paint

How likely is zinc to cause cancer?

Zinc is one of the most abundant elements in the crust. It is in the air, soil and water, and is present in all foods. Pure zinc is a bluish-white metal finish. Zinc has many commercial uses as coatings to prevent rust, in dry batteries, and mixed with other metals to make alloys like brass and bronze. An alloy of zinc and copper is used to make money in the United States. Zinc combines with other elements to form zinc compounds. Common zinc compounds found in hazardous waste sites include zinc chloride, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate and zinc sulfide. Zinc compounds are widely used in industry to make paint, rubber, dyes, wood preservatives, and ointments.

When zinc enters the environment, some are released into the environment through natural processes, but most comes from human activities such as mining, burning coal for steel production, and waste combustion . It binds to soil, sediment and dust particles in the air. Rain and snow remove zinc dust particles from the air. Depending on the type of soil, some zinc compounds can move into groundwater and into lakes, streams and rivers. Most zinc in the soil remains bound to soil particles and does not dissolve in water. It accumulates in fish and other organisms, but it does not accumulate in plants. We can be exposed to zinc ingestion of small quantities present in our food and water, consuming contaminated water or beverage that has been stored in metal containers or flows through pipes that have been coated with zinc to resist rust, eating too much dietary supplements that contain zinc, and working in a job related to construction, painting, auto mechanics, mining, smelting and welding, the manufacture of brass, bronze, or other zinc-containing alloys, the manufacture of galvanized metals, and manufacture of machine parts, rubber, paint, linoleum, oilcloth, batteries, a kind of glass, ceramics, and dyes.

Although zinc is an essential element in our diet, too little zinc can cause problems, but too much zinc is also harmful. Harmful effects generally begin at levels 10-15 times higher than the amount needed for good health. Large oral doses, even for a short period of time can cause stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. Took more time, it can cause anemia and lower the level of our good cholesterol. We do not know if high levels of zinc on reproduction in humans. However, rats that received large amounts of zinc became infertile. Inhalation of large amounts of zinc (as dust or fumes) can cause a specific short-term disease called metal fume fever. We do not know the long-term effects of breathing high levels of zinc. Put a low level of zinc acetate and zinc chloride on the skin of rabbits, Guinea pigs, and mice caused skin irritation. Skin irritation will probably occur in humans as well.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has not classified the carcinogenicity and zinc on incomplete data from human and animal studies, EPA has determined that zinc is not classifiable as to carcinogenicity man. As zinc is essential for growth and development of young children, it is likely that children exposed to high levels of zinc may have effects similar to those of adults. We do not know if children are more susceptible to the effects of excessive consumption of zinc than adults. In addition, we have no information if excess zinc can cause developmental effects in humans. Animal studies have found a decrease in the weight of the offspring of animals that ate very high levels of zinc.

As children hang around waste sites containing zinc may be exposed to higher levels of zinc in contaminated breathing air, drinking contaminated drinking water, touching or eating contaminated soil, we can encourage our children from eating soil or put their hands in their mouths and learn to wash Thei.