What is Aluminum?

Aluminum, also known as aluminium, is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust after oxygen and silicon. It does not occur naturally as the raw metal but instead in compound form where it is usually combined with oxygen and silicon, in oxides and silicates. The most economic means of extracting aluminum is from the ore bauxite and the result is a durable and lightweight metal that is silvery in appearance. It is soft in the sense that it is malleable and can be beaten or rolled into sheets. It is easy to work with and can be machined, cast, pulled and extruded. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat and electricity, having approximately 62% the conductivity of copper and it readily forms alloys with other metals. Because of these properties, it has widespread industrial applications.

Uses

Because it is strong yet lightweight and resistant to corrosion, aluminum and its alloys are used widely in the transportation and building industries; in the construction of aircraft, automobiles, bicycles, railway cars, ships, trucks, doors, siding and windows. It is also found in containers, cooking utensils, foil, paints, sports equipment, lamp posts, and transmission lines.

Aluminum has also many non-metallic applications and its compounds are widely used in commercial preparations, for example, in some antacids, antiperspirants, baking powders, cans and pouches for drinks, cosmetics, dental cement, food additives and vaccines, all of which permit aluminum to come into contact with our bodies. Yet aluminum is not necessary for any of our bodily processes to function (1). It is not a component of any known metabolic reactions and therein lies the problem. It is essentially foreign to us and there is growing concern about its potential toxicity because of our sustained exposure to it.

The amount of aluminum taken in by adults from all food sources and excluding over the counter drugs is estimated to be 6mg/day in the UK (2) and 7-9mg/day in the USA (3) with men being at the higher end of the range. The figures for Canada are thought to be similar to those for the USA (4). Estimates for children in the USA range from 0.7 mg/day for six- to 11-month-old infants to 11.5 mg/day for 14- to 16-year-old males (3). Less than 1% of aluminum ingested is absorbed by the body but this amount is greatly increased when it is taken together with vitamin C or citric acid. (5-7). When aluminum is introduced via dialysis fluids or by injection, the intestinal barrier to absorption is by-passed.

Toxicity

Toxic effects have been noted at elevated concentrations but little is known about how repeated exposure to lower amounts of aluminum compounds can affect our health and wellbeing. Aluminum is known to compete with calcium for absorption by the body and increased exposure may reduce the levels of calcium in the bones, a condition known as osteopenia. In high concentrations, aluminum is toxic to nerves (8) and its presence in dialysis fluids resulted in temporary memory loss in kidney patients (9). It has been suggested, but not yet proved, that aluminum may be implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (10). There is growing concern about the use of aluminum salts as adjuvants (boosters) in vaccines where it serves to increase the immune response to the injected proteins (5). Babies and children are receiving more vaccinations now than ever before and while the number of vaccines containing mercury is being reduced, aluminum levels are rising and so is autism and ADHD (5). Aluminum has been reported as an adjuvant in the hepatitis A and B vaccines, the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTaP), gardasil vaccine, the pneumoccocal vaccine, and the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. Some of these will be administered to adults.

Research has shown that the aluminum disassociates completely from the antigen within 15 minutes of being injected and it is then free to be absorbed. It seems that there are no barriers to aluminum once it is absorbed into the body. It is able to utilize the iron transport mechanism, enter cells, cross the placenta and the blood brain barrier (5).

Recommendations

It is better to be safe than sorry and I don’t see why we need to ingest aluminum in any form.

1) Minimize exposure to aluminum metal and to compounds generated from it. Avoid using aluminum cookware or consuming any food or drink that’s packaged in an aluminum container, particularly if vitamin C or citric acid is present because they will enhance the absorption of aluminum (5 -7).

2) Avoid ingesting any aluminum compounds. Check antacids, baking powders, baked goods and food additives to see if they contain aluminum compounds. When baking at home, use leavening agents that do not contain aluminum compounds.

3) If you are considering vaccination, you should enquire about the components of the vaccine, particularly with respect to any adjuvants and preservatives. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a copy of the vaccine package insert.

4) Avoid using antiperspirants, cosmetics, lotions and toothpastes that contain aluminum compounds.

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.

References

1) Bernardo, J. F., Edwards, M. R. & Barnett, B. (2009) Toxicity, Aluminum. eMedicine from WebMD
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview

2) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. (1985) Survey of aluminium, antimony, chromium, cobalt, indium, nickel, thallium and tin in food. MAFF Food Surveillance Paper No. 15, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London, U.K.

3) Pennington, J.A.T. and Schoen, S.A. (1995) Estimates of dietary exposure to aluminium. Food Addit. Contam. 12(1): 119-128 (1995).

4) Health Canada: Environmental and Workplace Health (2008) Aluminum. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/aluminum/aluminum-aluminium-eng.php

5) Mercola, J. & Ayoub, D. (2010) New Warning About Everyday Poison Linked to Alzheimer’s, ADHD, and Autism. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/20/david-ayoub-interview-february-2010.aspx

6) Slanina, P. et al. (1986) Dietary Citric Acid Enhances Absorption of Aluminum in Antacids. Clin. Chem., 32: 539-541.

7) Walker, J. A., Sherman, R. A. & Cody, R. P. (1990) The Effects of Oral Bases on Enteral Aluminum Absorption. Arch Intern Med. 1990; 150 (10):2037-2039.

Eck, P.C. & Wilson, W. (1989) Aluminum Toxicity. http://www.arltma.com/AlumToxDoc.htm

9) Tichy, M. A. Aluminum in the Dialysis Patient. J. Renal Nutrition, Volume 13, Issue 3, Pages E1-E3

10) Jones, C. J. (2010) Aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.health360.info/?p=339

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and fatal form of dementia. The involvement of aluminum was originally suggested when it was found to be present in neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of some patients who had died from the disease and it has also been shown to cause memory loss if administered intravenously. The jury is still out on whether aluminum is a cause of Alzheimer’s. However, there is no evidence to suggest that we need aluminum for our body to function normally (1). We do not need it in our diet. It is considered non-physiological and yet we are exposed to it from so many sources in our daily lives. I think it is prudent to avoid aluminum as much as possible. In the excellent report (2) and video below, produced by Phyllis Staff after her father had passed away from Alzheimer’s disease, the concerns about aluminum and the steps we should take to minimize our exposure to it are presented.

References

1) Bernardo, J. F., Edwards, M. R. & Barnett, B. (2009) Toxicity, Aluminum. eMedicine from WebMD http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview

2) Staff, P. (2009) Elemental Enigma: A Guide to Aluminum and Alzheimer’s Disease. http://www.viewzone.com/alzheimers.html