Is silicon harmful to the human body?

Silicon is a common chemical substance and an essential trace element for our human health. Nowadays, many plastic surgery hospitals help patients improve their facial contours and breast enlargement by filling with silicone. This shows that silicone has a very powerful effect on us humans. So is silicon harmful to the human body? I will introduce it to you in detail below, let’s take a look!

Hypersiliconemia: Focal glomerulonephritis has been found in people with high-silicon diets, and individuals with significantly increased silicon content in their renal tissue. There are also reports that taking large amounts of magnesium silicate (silicon-containing antacids) may induce urinary tract stones in humans.

Silicosis: Long-term inhalation of large amounts of silicon-containing dust through the respiratory tract can cause silicosis. In general, silicon has a certain degree of nephrotoxicity, which means it is not very good for the kidneys. In addition, silicon-containing dust is also one of the main causes of silicosis.

The importance of silicon to the biological world has only recently been recognized. In 1972, silicon was discovered to be essential for the growth and development of chickens and rats. Later, people paid attention to the relationship between silicon and human health and disease, and it was considered as one of the trace elements necessary for humans.

Distribution and function of silicon: Silicon is mainly concentrated in bones, lungs, lymph nodes, pancreas, adrenal glands, nails and hair. The highest concentrations are found in the connective tissue of the aorta, trachea, tendons, bones, and skin. The arterioles, cornea, and sclera also have fairly high levels. Each 100 grams of tissue may contain hundreds of micrograms. The content in brain tissue is extremely low, probably because the blood-brain barrier prevents silicon from entering the brain. Silica can also enter the fetus through the placenta. Silicon is a component of collagen, elastic fibers and extracellular amorphous connective material.

The above content clearly introduces the question of whether silicon is harmful to our human body. I believe that after reading it, friends have already understood it! Silicon exists as a trace element in our human body and naturally plays a corresponding role in the functions of various parts of our body. However, a large amount of silicon will cause us to suffer from hypersilicosis and silicosis.