ABSTRACT
While some elements have surpassed others with respect to the progress made, factors such as ease of identification, number of measurable biochemical parameters, unique versus ubiquitous distribution, toxicity profiles, and deficiency symptoms have all contributed to the complex and as yet incomplete evolutionary emergence of our understanding of each trace element in question. Zinc is certainly one element that has undergone a tremendous explosion in information during this relatively short time. In conjunction with its ubiquitous distribution among tissues, zinc's role as an essential cofactor in an ever-growing list of enzymes and enzymatic functions when integrated into intermediary metabolism results in the fact that tissues and organs are quite susceptible, though somewhat variable in degree, to zinc deficiency. Once in plasma, an active reservoir for zinc distribution/concentration, zinc is normally associated with the following blood constituents. The primary mode of exposure in relation to zinc toxicity is via the lungs.
