Living on air I 7 Living on air Growing with nitrogen “We are creatures of the air. The stuff of our bodies – the atoms that make up our skin and bone, blood, brain, and everything else – comes primarily from the atmosphere. Sometimes the route is direct, sometimes indirect.” The above quote, taken from Thomas Hager’s The Alchemy of Air, links air to life. Our bodies and our minds basically consist of chemical bonds between different elements. We take many of these elements from the air that we breathe. We all know about oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, which we take in by breathing, drinking water and eating carbohydrates. We also know about calcium and iron, which we consume in dairy products and vegetables, and sometimes by taking supplements. But what people often do not know is that we carry about two to three kilos of nitrogen around in our bodies. Nitrogen, the chemical element N, forms the basis for our DNA and proteins. During cell replacement, proteins are broken down and leave our body. Because we have only limited reserves of nitrogen and proteins in our bodies, we need to supplement them daily. Plants also contain proteins and need nitrogen to grow. Nitrogen is one of the foundations of all life on Earth. Without nitrogen, there is no life.
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