How Aluminum Enters The Body And Aluminum-Linked Diseases
May 4th, 2007
How does aluminum enter the body?
- WHAT WE EAT
- It can leach during cooking from utensils and cookware made of aluminum.
- Food additives made of aluminum compounds (e.g. sodium aluminum phosphate) are added into food.
- Drugs such as antacid contains aluminum hydroxide.
- THE AIR WE BREATHE
The amount found in unpolluted air is generally very minimal, however in polluted air, the aluminum content in the air is higher. - THE WATER WE DRINK
Aluminum compounds (e.g. aluminum hydroxide, aluminum sulphate) are used in the water purification process.
Al-Linked Diseases
- A widely circulated email claimed that using antiperspirant deodorants (most of which contain aluminum chlorohydrate) prevent the lymph glands near the breast from excreting toxins through perspiration which can lead to breast cancer. At this point there is no strong medical evidence to support this allegation. Nevertheless, aluminum-free deodorants are readily available.
- Health researchers have found that there could be a possible link between aluminum and the development of the following conditions (though findings are not conclusive) :
- Alzheimer’s disease — people with the disease have a higher level of aluminum in the brain.
- Dementia in kidney dialysis patients — having to expose to high levels of aluminum in dialysis fluids and medication, people undergoing dialysis could develop dialysis encephalopathy, a form of dementia.
- Lou Gehrig’s disease and Parkinson’s disease — exposure to high levels of aluminum is said to contribute to the development of this neurological disorder.
Subscribe to my RSS feed for regular updates.
