Normally nickel comes into contact with the human through food (the major source), water, air, soil, sediment and some hazardous waste sites--as well as through smoking tobacco. Also some products used in our daily lives contain nickel, including stainless steels and nickel alloys used in jewellery, coins, kitchen wares, mobile phones and some medical artificial body parts. Usually, the nickel content of the above sources is low. You may be exposed to higher levels of nickel if you work in industries that process or use nickel. Exposure of unborn children to nickel occurs through the transfer of nickel from the mother's blood to fetal blood. Likewise, nursing infants are exposed to nickel through the transfer of nickel from the mother's breast milk.
Nickel can enter your body by breathing air, drinking water, eating food and wearing jewellery which contains nickel. It depends on the size of the nickel particles, whether the nickel element reaches your lungs and your blood. If the particles are large, they stay in your nose; if the particles are small, they enter deep into your lungs. Some of these nickel particles can leave the lungs with mucus that you spit out or swallow. More nickel will pass into your body through your stomach and intestines if you drink water containing nickel than if you eat food containing the same amount of nickel. A small amount of nickel can enter your bloodstream from skin contact. After nickel gets into your body, it can go to all organs, but it mainly goes to the kidneys. The nickel that gets into your bloodstream leaves in the urine. After nickel is eaten, most of it leaves quickly in the feces, and the small amount that gets into your blood leaves in the urine.
For the whole family, it is better to eat food and drink water with no nickel, and keep away from the nickel industries and plants and similar places .
Avoid wearing jewellery and some other items containing nickel.
Visit the doctor to check whether you, your children or other family members have been exposed to substantial amounts of nickel regularly.
Refrain from smoking.
Be careful when choosing the kitchen wares.
For more information, please visit http://www.samaterials.com/361-nickel-metal