How many chemicals are there in the human body?
Back in 2006, I ran this question in the #9 slot as a way to make a cheap Robert Downey Jr. joke. (It’s hard to believe that Robert Downey Jr., now one of the most beloved and in-demand actors in Hollywood, was once a punchline.) Now I’m ready to give you a serious answer. First, let’s break down the composition of the body into elements. There are about 60 different elements in the typical human body, but 99% of the body’s mass is supplied by a mere six of them: oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%), nitrogen (3%), calcium (1.5%) and phosphorus (1%). The remaining 1% is made up of (in descending order) potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron, fluorine, zinc, silicon, zirconium, rubidium, strontium, bromine, lead, niobium, copper, aluminum, cadmium, boron, barium, arsenic, vanadium, tin, selenium, mercury, manganese, iodine, nickel, gold… and a bunch others “-iums” in exceedingly small quantities. Counting the “chemicals” compounds? is more challenging, because ther
