Many of the minerals that our bodies require for good health, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and zinc, we get from food. And while we need an adequate supply of many different minerals, there are negative health consequences resulting from exposure to some mineral materials or elevated levels of otherwise good minerals. Some of these minerals come from our everyday contact with the air, water, and ground in our surroundings. Some of them we are exposed to by man-made disturbances to the natural environment or as a result of a wide range of natural disasters.

   Whether it is research on

-Asbestos in California soils,

-Dust from black shale landscapes in Colorado and Utah,

-Mercury from abandoned mines in Big Bend National Park, Texas,
-Mud deposited during flooding in New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
-Dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York, or
-Effects of recent wild fires on soils and runoff waters in southern California.
-MRP science helps local, State, and Federal agencies develop land management plans to minimize effects of mineral-borne contaminants on human and ecosystem health.
   The MRP supports research to better understand the environmental impact of abandoned mines, which reduces the cost of cleanup. For example, studies of old mining areas in the Animas River watershed in southwestern Colorado helped other agencies plan and carry out effective reclamation activities. The USGS MRP is a leader in the investigation and analysis of:
-Natural background levels of minerals in the environment,
-Mechanisms of mineral breakdown, and
-Transport of mineral components that may be sources of contaminants.