Aluminum and health

Remember, life on earth has developed in a rich aluminum environment, so we've been adapting to aluminum exposure for a long time.

Some people say aluminum exposure can damage your health. But scientific evidence does not support this. In some cases, aluminum can improve our health.

We are exposed to aluminum in many ways:

The crust (7% of the earth's crust is aluminum)

In most rocks and soils (aluminum occurs in a variety of chemical forms)

vegetation

Naturally in most water supplies

A part of the dust particles in the air

In all clay (which makes it part of cooking utensils, for example, our first civilization)

As you can see, we evolved in an environment rich in aluminum.

diet

For the human body, food is the most important source of aluminum, including aluminum.

Most of the aluminum from food comes from natural, aluminum containing fruits and vegetables. This is because plants absorb aluminum from the soil.

Some foods contain added aluminum salt. In Asia, daily intake of aluminum from food is estimated at 3-10 mg.

We use aluminum foil, menus, trays, cans, etc. to prepare, preserve and store food and drinks. The amount of aluminum that comes into our body, from cans, foils, or pans, is very small (about 0.1 mg / day).

water

Aluminum is a natural component of surface water and ground water. Aluminium sulfate or alum is also widely used to purify water sources effectively.

However, aluminum in water is less than 1% of our daily intake of aluminum.

Drugs, vaccines and cosmetics

The use of aluminum in medicine can be traced upwards to ancient Greece and Rome. Aluminum compounds are used as astringent agents, such as stopping bleeding.

Today, aluminum hydroxide is the main aluminum compound in medicine. This is used to treat gastric ulcers and renal failure. Some vaccines contain aluminum compounds that make them more effective.

Aluminum salts are used as deodorants in cosmetics. Sweat is clogged with aluminum salts, reducing perspiration on the skin surface.

breathing

Aluminum inhaled through the air is a small source of contact. According to WHO statistics, exposure to 0.04 mg / day contributed less than 1% of food compared to food.

Intake and absorption

We absorb most of the aluminum, through food, water, beverages and drugs, through the digestive system, not absorbed by the body.

For normal people, there seems to be no clear evidence of the correlation between aluminum intake and absorption.