Magnesium sulfate (medical use) solution. In the United Kingdom 4 ml of 20% solution costs the NHS about 10.23 pounds. In the United States a course of medication typically costs less than $25. Magnesium sulfate is the primary treatment and preventative measure in women with eclampsia. It lowers systolic blood pressure while maintaining diastolic blood pressure, thus leaving blood flow to the fetus uncompromised. Magnesium sulphate was once used as a tocolytic, but meta-analyses have failed to support it as an anti-contraction medication. Usage for prolonged periods (more than five to seven days) may result in health problems for the baby. In those at
Magnesium in the atmosphere, it is soon coated in a thin layer of oxide that partly inhibits reactivity – see passivation). The free metal burns with a characteristic brilliant-white light. The metal is now obtained mainly by electrolysis of magnesium salts obtained from brine, and is used primarily as a component in aluminium-magnesium alloys, sometimes called "magnalium" or "magnelium". Magnesium is less dense than aluminium, and the alloy is prized for its combination of lightness and strength. Magnesium is the eleventh most abundant element by mass in the human body and is essential to all cells and some 300 enzymes. Magnesium