Magnesium

Magnesium is a grayish-white, fairly tough alkaline earth metal. In the Periodic Table, its symbol is Mg and its atomic number is 12. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust. Magnesium metal is flammable and it burns with a very bright light. Magnesium is important to the health of both plants and animals. Chlorophyll, the green chemical that allows plants to perform photosynthesis, is based on magnesium.

In the Environment
Magnesium is an important nutrient in the soil as plants need it to grow. All soil contains magnesium.

In Sewage Sludge
In the Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, a 2009 test of 84 samples of sewage sludge from around the U.S., the EPA found magnesium in every sample in concentrations ranging from 696 to 18,400 parts per million.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Biosolids
 * Sewage sludge
 * Food Rights Network

External resources

 * Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Magnesium, National Institutes of Health