Mining and You
What do feel like when a storm shuts down the power in your house? How would you feel if your brand new television wouldn't work because there wasn't enough electricity to power it? Did you know that most of the electricity we use in America for the lights in our houses, anything we plug in like computers, TV's, radios, vacuums etc... is produced by coal ? And even though there are different types of energy sources, if we didn't have coal, we wouldn't be able to use as much electricity as we do.
There are a lot of minerals we depend on every day of our lives, and not just for energy. What about the computer you're using, or the lunch you eat? From our shoes, to the houses we live in...mining is all around us.Click on the chart below to see how much you do depend on mining in your life.
Not only are minerals all around
you, they're in you, too. And without them, you could get sick or even die.
Calcium
It builds bones and teeth, helps the clotting
of blood, regulates the heart, and helps nerve impulse transmissions.
Zinc
It strengthens your immune system, helps synthesize
DNA, RNA, proteins,
helps wounds heal faster, can help prevent cold viruses from multiplying, aids
in the growth of tissue, and more than 70 enzymes
depend on it to do their jobs.
Iron
Most of our iron is used in red blood cells, called hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin carries oxygen to all the parts of our bodies. Without enough iron,
your hemoglobin wouldn't work, and you'd die.
Sodium
(salt)
Did you know we would die without this mineral? Salt regulates how much
fluid is have in your body. It also helps nerve impulses and metabolizes
carbohydrates and proteins.
Copper
It helps build red blood cells and bone. It helps wounds heal, and aids
the use of iron in your body.
Nickel
Vital to metabolism, without enough nickel, your blood couldn't form and
could stunt your growth.