The mineral nickel has become a very important part of our daily lives. It is a major component of stainless steel, used to make pots, pans and flatware.
Coins contain nickel.
And it is used in many other ways that affect our daily lives, including nickel-cadmium batteries for such things as cell phones, computers, and cordless tools. Nickel is also used as a catalyst to harden margarine and to make petroleum products. Because of the toxicity of certain uncommon forms of nickel, and because some people can develop an allergy to the mineral, some regulatory agencies, especially in Europe, want to severely limit or stop the use of nickel in many consumer products. These agencies consider nickel a toxic element only and want to markedly reduce the exposure to nickel including through diet and water. But consumer products do not add much to our daily intake of nickel.