Describe the importance of minerals in human life.
Minerals are an indispensable part of human life. Almost all things we use are made of minerals. Human beings use minerals for their livelihood, decoration, festivities, religious and ceremonial rites. Buildings, ships, railway lines, cars, buses, aeroplanes, various implements etc. are manufactured from minerals and run on power resources derived from the earth. Our food too contains minerals. Life processes cannot occur without minerals. They are very important part of total food intake. It is only 0.3 per cent of the total intake of nutrients but they are so potent and so important that without them we would not be able to utilise the other 99.7 per cent of the foodstuffs. In toothpaste, fluoride which is used to reduce cavities, comes from a mineral fluorite.
