Biology
Gallium...
- Has no known biological function but is not harmful to the body unless consumed in excessive amounts. In that case, gallium chloride can cause breathing issues and partial paralysis.
- Is a by-product of aluminum, zinc, and coal dust
Medical
Gallium...
- gallium citrate is used for medical purposes to examine the body for inflammation, cancer, or infection. A doctor inserts a patient's vein with gallium, which in the next 24 hours, gathers in certain tissues. After a day, the patient is scanned so that the doctor may see where the gallium is gathering. If there are unusual results, then the doctor may see what is causing these (i.e. a tumor or infection).
- Sometimes, gallium is inserted into a patient's body if they have cancer to stop the proliferation of cancer cells. To proliferate, cancer cells must take up iron, which is necessary in the formation of any type of DNA. When gallium is in the body, it acts in the place of this iron and when the cancer cells take it up, they cannot make new cancer DNA so die rather than proliferate. This is an alternative to chemotherapy because the gallium kills the cancer cells in a way that does not release as many toxins into the body.