Small concentrations are present in all lakes, streams, oceans and seas.
It is in the soil and in rocks and minerals, plants and animals. Phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in the human body, surpassed only by calcium. It makes up more than 20 percent of the mineral ash in the body, about one percent of total body weight. Nearly 80 percent of the P in humans is found in bones and teeth. Mineral supplements containing P may be prescribed by doctors when a P deficiency is diagnosed.