Silicon

Type: Trace Element
Periodic Element: (Si)
RDA: None Listed
Importance- To Body:
There is some evidence that silicon is important to nail, hair, bone and skin health in humans.
Distribution- In Body:
* Approx. % of Body Mass
Silicon is needed for synthesis of elastin and collagen, of which the aorta contains the greatest quantity in the human body.
Excess Effects:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set the legal limit (Permissible exposure limit) for silicon exposure in the workplace as 15 mg/m3 total exposure and 5 mg/m3 respiratory exposure over an 8-hour workday. Inhalation of crystalline silica dust may lead to silicosis, an occupational lung disease marked by inflammation and scarring in the form of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs. People can be exposed to elemental silicon in the workplace by breathing it in, swallowing it, skin contact, and eye contact. In the latter two cases, silicon poses a slight hazard as an irritant.
Deficiency Effects:
Premenopausal women with higher dietary silicon intake have higher bone density, and that silicon supplementation can increase bone volume and density in patients with osteoporosis.
Sources Food:
Abundant
Sources Environmental/Geographic:
Silicon makes up 27.2% of the Earth’s crust by weight, second only to oxygen at 45.5%.
Supplemental information:
In the universe, silicon is the seventh most abundant element, coming after hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and neon. These abundances are not replicated well on Earth due to substantial separation of the elements taking place during the formation of the Solar System.