ATSDR evaluation of the health effects of zinc and relevance to public health.

As part of its mandate, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepares toxicological profiles on hazardous chemicals found at Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) National Priorities List (NPL) sites, which have the greatest public health impact. These profiles comprehensively summarise toxicological and environmental information. This article constitutes the release of portions of the Toxicological Profile for Zinc. The primary purpose of this article is to provide public health officials, physicians, toxicologists, and other interested individuals and groups with an overall perspective on the toxicology of zinc. It contains descriptions and evaluations of toxicological studies and epidemiological investigations, and provides conclusions, where possible, on the relevance of toxicity and toxicokinetic data to public health.