Phosphorus is an extremely reactive and highly toxic nonmetallic element that is essential for life. Although it is one of the more abundant elements in the earth's crust, at about eleven percent, minerals containing it in substantial quantities are distributed very unevenly.
Phosphorous plays a central role in the structure of genetic material, in the transferring of energy within organisms, and in the composition of cell membranes, bones and teeth. In humans, it constitutes roughly one percent of the fat-free mass, with about 85 percent of it being located in the bones and teeth.
By far the largest of phosphorus's many applications is artificial fertilizers. Others include the production of steel, electronic components, special glasses, fine porcelain, insecticides and pyrotechnics. It is also used in some detergents, but is being phased out because it can lead to high phosphate levels in fresh water bodies, resulting in eutrophication, a process in which excessive algae growth occurs and creates toxins that can kill aquatic organisms and thereby reduce biodiversity.
The phosphorus cycle is a slow-moving biogeochemical cycle in which phosphorus is transported through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It is of great importance because of the essential role that phosphorous plays in sustaining life. Humans are having a major effect on this cycle, particularly through the large-scale mining of phosphate rock (minerals containing a high concentration of phosphorous) and using it in the production of artificial fertilizers, detergents and other products.
Because of many decades of such mining, deposits of phosphorous-containing minerals are being depleted at a rapid rate. There is concern that, in the absence of changes in agricultural practices and the location of major new deposits, peak phosphorus will occur around 2050, after which supplies will become increasingly scarce and expensive. This could have serious implications for global food production.