Nickel (Symbol Ni Latin niccolum)-Nickel is a silver-white metallic element. It is found in various tissues of the human. It is not known to have any nutritional value in man, but is thought to be necessary in chicks, swine and possibly other animals.

RDA of nickel

Since there is no nutritional value yet known, there can be no RDA. However, because of the lack of association with toxicity in low doses, and the possibility that it may be required in the diet,a few micrograms of Nickel are included in many multivitamins.

Toxicity of nickel

High amounts of nickel and its compounds are toxic. For example, Nickel carbonyl, the combination of nickel and carbonyl produced during nickel refinery cause pulmonary oedema and dyspnoea, and is carciongenic, causing respiratory and nasal carcinomas.

Low doese of nickel are considered harmless. Nickel is thus used to line cookery, pasteurisation equipment, and other food industry machinery.