Today, I saw a quote that said "Every action we take impacts the lives of others around us. The question is: Are you aware of your impact?", which got me thinking about everything in this world I have an effect on. Therefore, this blog post is going to be dedicated to my impact on things, specifically our environment, economy, and society in the world.
- Environmental impact - As I believe we established earlier, I am a non-toxic metal. However, in my rusted state (FeIII), I am hazardous to the environment because I don't break down very easily. This causes me to stay on the earth, acting as pollution, or as a choking hazard for some animals. Also in my rusted state I am toxic to many plants, and if conjoined with them they will die.
- Economic impact - Iron has a relatively large mining industry that has a immense economic impact on religions where the iron is mined. This effect may even go beyond the homeland of the mine, such as Minnesota's iron mining industry. Most iron mines make up for the cost of their existence relatively easily. For example, the Minnesota mine cost around $3,453,337,800 (USD) to create. It contributes about $3 billion to its local economy, as well as more than 11,200 jobs. Therefore, even with running costs, this mine would nearly pay for itself annually.
- Social impact - Iron affects almost everybody on a daily basis. This is because almost every person on the earth uses at least one thing made of iron everyday. This all started way before the times of ancient Greece and Rome. The origin of our dependence on iron started in the Iron Age (yep, I have my own AGE!). After the bronze age, the iron age was born around 1200 BC. During the Iron Age, most tools and household appliances were converted to iron, due to it being cheap and a non-toxic metal. This made life and farming much easier because iron tools were more efficient than the previous stone and bronze ones. Blacksmiths also became a more predominant and important job due to the new demand for iron items. At this point in history, nearly EVERYTHING was made of iron, thus forming the iron age. The iron age still has an effect today, as iron is still very predominant in our world and in our lives.
- Health impacts - As you all know (or I hope you all know) you have iron in your body. The average adult has about 5 to 6 grams of iron in their body, and everyday they should take in 14.7 to 20.5 milligrams or iron. Most of this iron is assumedly coming from meat products such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood. Without sufficient amounts of iron in your body, you can form an iron deficiency (anemia), a conditions which results in depletion or the lack or red blood cells. This is very harmful to your health because red blood cells are responsible for carrying and transporting oxygen all around your body.
