Research Summary
Humankind has utilized natural mineral resources for millennia, which have been central to the technological progress of human societies by providing mineral-based materials and their derivatives that shape everyday life. Human survival and development depend upon natural resources such as water, land, forests, and minerals. Minerals are present, albeit not always visibly, in every car, plane, bicycle, computer, TV set, cell phone, lamp, tile, brick, tableware, plaster, pigment, paper, cement, and glass. In fact, humans coexist with minerals. They also serve as fundamental constituents in the human body, as well as in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics that contribute to healthcare and well-being. Minerals are essential to humans, other organisms, and microorganisms.
This book aims to provide an updated and comprehensive academic review of both positive and negative interactions of minerals latu sensu, or minerals l.s., regarding living quality and quality of life. Researchers often emphasize negative interactions; however, this book seeks a harmonious balance between both categories of interactions.
To achieve the main objective of this book—a holistic approach to the general and specific interactions between minerals and humans—a broad concept of minerals has been adopted: the concept of minerals latu sensu (mineral l.s.). This comprehensive concept encompasses various definitions, including the two most fundamental ones: the concept of minerals strictu sensu (mineral s.s.), which refers to natural, inorganic, solid, and crystalline products that are important components of rocks and soils, as recognized in Earth sciences, soil sciences, and materials science. The second definition refers to minerals as chemical elements of natural and inorganic origin, typically metals and metalloids, which are essential components of the human body, food (both solid and liquid), and pharmaceuticals. This perspective is adopted in medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and nutritional sciences.
All chemical elements of natural origin and inorganic nature presented in the periodic table can be constituents of both minerals s.s. and humans. Additionally, there are known close relationships between minerals s.s. and humans. Both are chemical systems composed of the same fundamental blocks—the natural chemical elements—albeit in different concentrations. Furthermore, both minerals and humans undergo processes of formation, growth, and duration, and ultimately face disappearance, as they are imperfect natural entities characterized by inherited and acquired defects and disorders. In humans, these defects and disorders may manifest as diseases of varying severity or imperfections found in the genetic code. In minerals, such defects and disorders translate to physical and chemical instability, leading to alteration, transformation, and eventual disappearance.
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