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Old 10-24-2007, 02:19 AM   #10 (permalink)
ArmchairGeneral
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FullTank View Post
The human body or any other living creature on planet earth has a body composition somewhat similiar to the constituents of elements found on planet earth.

Thus you find iron, sodium, potassium etc in various percentages in the human body. These elements are abundandtly present on planet earth and the human body has a level of tolerence to it. In fact a certain intake of these elements are mandatory for survival.

Plutonium on the other hand is extremely rare in nature. Correpondingly the human body has zero tolerance for it. Even 1 gm of plutonium is deadly to a human being.
The elemental composition of the human body is quite different from that of the earth. Carbon is relatively rare on earth, but dominant in living organisms. Phosphorus is even rarer, but is one of the 5 main organic elements. Two of the most common elements, iron and silicon, are comparatively uncommon in living organisms. As for plutonium, it's more than rare in nature: it's virtually non-existent. But its toxicity has to do with its radioactivity, not its rarity. Xenon, for example, is extremely rare, but non-toxic.
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