trace metal trace metal trace metals are the metals subset of trace elements; that is, metals normally present in small but measurable amounts in animal and plant cells and tissues and that are a necessary part of nutrition and physiology. some biometals are trace metals. ingestion of, or exposure to, excessive quantities can be toxic. however, insufficient plasma or tissue levels of certain trace metals can cause pathology, as is the case with iron. element percentages in the human body. trace metals within the human body include iron, lithium, zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, cobalt, vanadium, molybdenum, manganese and others. trace metals are metals needed by living organisms to function properly and are depleted through the expenditure of energy by various metabolic processes of living organisms. they are replenished in animals through diet as well as environmental exposure, and in plants through the uptake of nutrients from the soil in which the plant grows. human vitamin pills and plant fertilizers can be a source of trace metals. trace metals are sometimes referred to as trace elements, although the latter includes minerals and is a broader category.