Lithium

Type: Essential Mineral
Periodic Element: (Li)
RDA: 1,000 µg/day is suggested for a 70 kg adult provisionally. As evidence now appears to be sufficient to accept lithium as essential.
Importance- To Body:
The biochemical mechanisms of action of lithium appear to be multifactorial and are intercorrelated with the functions of several enzymes, hormones and vitamins, as well as with growth and transforming factors.
Distribution- In Body:
nearly all vertebrate tissue and body fluids contain lithium ranging from 21 to 763 ppb.
Excess Effects:
The metal itself is a handling hazard because contact with moisture produces the caustic lithium hydroxide. Lithium dust or compounds may irritate the nose and throat, higher exposure can cause a buildup of fluid in the lungs, leading to pulmonary edema. May increase risk of developing Ebstein’s cardiac anomaly in infants born to women who take lithium during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Deficiency Effects:
Increased Suicides, homicides and arrest rates are now associated with low levels.
Sources Food:
Primary food sources of lithium are grains and vegetables, Seafood, and, in some areas, drinking water also contains significant amounts. Human intake varies depending on location and diet. Marine organisms tend to bioaccumulate lithium more than terrestrial organisms.
Sources Environmental/Geographic:
Lithium salts are extracted from water in mineral springs, brine pools, and brine deposits.
Lithium is present in seawater, but commercially viable methods of extraction have yet to be developed.
Supplemental information: