Biological Role
| Abundance | ppd in weight (parts per billion |
| Seawater | 5 (biological) |
| Humans | 33000 (biological) |
| The universe | 300 (geological) |
| The sun | 2000 (geological) |
| Crustal Rock | 79000 (geological) |
Zinc is essential in the diets of plants and animals. Zinc shortage in soil around the world is an important problem. Zinc is the key component in many enzymes. The protein hormone insulin contains Zinc.
Zinc plays a role in reproduction and also sexual maturation. Zinc deficiency results in stunted growth and in male sexual immaturity. This becomes not a problem if there is sufficient amounts of zinc in an organism. Some organism seem to accumulate zinc.