From the Research
Aluminum Exposure and Human Health
- Aluminum (Al) is a ubiquitous metal that can be found in various forms and is used in many aspects of daily life, including food packaging, cookware, and personal care products 1.
- Human exposure to aluminum can occur through various routes, including dietary intake, inhalation, and skin contact 2, 3, 1.
- The potential health risks associated with aluminum exposure include detrimental effects on the hemopoietic system, nervous system, and bones 3.
Neurotoxicity and Aluminum Exposure
- Aluminum has been shown to be neurotoxic in animal studies, and has been implicated in the etiology of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders, although the evidence is still controversial 2, 4, 1.
- Aluminum can produce neurotoxicity by various mechanisms, including the promotion of formation and accumulation of insoluble amyloid beta protein (A beta) and hyperphosphorylated tau 2.
- Cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, have been linked to aluminum exposure 2, 1.
Safety Evaluation and Regulation
- The safety evaluation of dietary aluminum has been conducted, and the results suggest that the healthy human body has effective barriers to reduce the systemic absorption of aluminum ingested from water, foods, and air 4.
- The European Food Safety Authority has established a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg body weight for aluminum, and some studies have found that this limit can be exceeded in certain cases 3.
- The regulation of aluminum in drinking water has been considered, but the uncertainty of the toxicity of ingested aluminum has led to a deferral of possible regulation 5.