What is Aluminum?

(If you are taking Anti-Depressants, you need to read this!)

Here is some information about aluminum. This one does not appear to be as bad as arsenic.

Word Origin:
Aluminum or Aluminium (it’s the same element with a different spelling - both of which appears to be acceptable spelling these days) is derived from the Latin name for alum, 'alumen' meaning bitter salt. The metal was named by the English chemist Sir Humphry

Davy even though he was unable to isolate it. He derived the name from the mineral called alumina, which itself had only been named in English by the chemist Joseph Black in 1790. Black took it from the French, who had based it on alum: a white mineral that had been used since ancient times for dyeing and tanning, among other things.

Sir Humphry made a bit of a mess of naming this new element, at first spelling it alumium (this was in 1807) then changing it to aluminum, and finally settling on aluminium in 1812. His classically educated scientific colleagues preferred aluminium, because it had more of a classical ring, and chimed harmoniously with many other elements whose names ended in –ium, like potassium, sodium, and magnesium, all of which had been named by Davy.

History:
The analysis of a curious metal ornament found in the tomb of Chou-Chu, a military leader in 3rd century China, turned out to be 85% aluminium. How it was produced remains a mystery. By the end of the 1700s, aluminium oxide was known to contain a metal, but it defeated all attempts to extract it. Humphry Davy had used electric current to extract sodium and potassium from their so-called ‘earths’ (oxides), but his method did not release aluminium in the same way.

The first person to produce it was Hans Christian Oersted at Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1825, and he did it by heating aluminium chloride with potassium. Even so, his sample was impure. Then the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler perfected the method in 1827, and obtain pure aluminium for the first time by using sodium instead of potassium.

Exposure & Expectations:
Exposure to aluminum is usually not harmful, but exposure to high levels can affect your health. Workers who breathe large amounts of aluminum dusts can have lung problems, such as coughing or abnormal chest X-rays. Some workers who breathe aluminum dusts or aluminum fumes have decreased performance in some tests that measure functions of the nervous system.

Some people with kidney disease store a lot of aluminum in their bodies and sometimes develop bone or brain diseases, which may be caused by the excess of aluminum. Some studies show that people exposed to high levels of aluminum may develop Alzheimer's disease, but other studies have not found this to be true. We do not know for certain whether aluminum causes Alzheimer's disease.

Studies in animals show that the nervous system is a sensitive target of aluminum toxicity. Obvious signs of damage were not seen in animals after high oral doses of aluminum. However, the animals did not perform as well in tests that measured the strength of their grip or how much they moved around.

As the metal aluminum is present in our food, water supply and soil, most people suffer from some degree of aluminum toxicity. After years of accumulated exposure and storage of it in body tissues, this poison can have results ranging from brain degeneration to skeletal deformities.

Symptoms:
If you have any of these symptoms, do not assume it is because of aluminum toxicity. These symptoms may be caused by other, less serious health conditions. If you experience any one of them, see your physician, especially if you have kidney disease or are on dialysis.

Confusion, Muscle weakness, Bone pain, deformities and fractures, Seizures, Speech problems and Slow growth—in children

Complications may include: Lung problems Nervous system problems causing difficulty with voluntary and involuntary actions Bone diseases Brain diseases and disorders Anemia Impaired iron absorption

Exposure Sources: Over the counter medications can be one of the largest sources of aluminum: Frequent users of buffered aspirin, such as people with arthritis, could possibly take up to 700 mg of this metal each day. But since aluminum contributes to bone damage, the aspirin actually enhances arthritis.

Digestive aides such as diarrhea and hemorrhoid medicines can also contain aluminum. A typical dose of aluminum-containing antacids can contain as much as 200 mg. and an entire day's use can supply 800-5000 mg. of aluminum.

Aluminum is also often added to hygiene aids such as antiperspirants and douches. Food that has been cooked or stored in aluminum pots and aluminum foil is another source.

Estimates say that as much as 4 milligrams of aluminum can be transferred to each serving of an acidic food such as tomatoes or citrus fruits that has been heated or stored with aluminum. Stainless steel cookware can be a source as well as it is made by bonding the stainless steel with layers of aluminum.

Testing and experience shows that after stainless steel cookware has been used for a short period of time, aluminum traces begin to enter the food. There are six aluminum salts that have been approved as food additives in the United States. The salts most commonly used are sodium aluminum phosphates. They are added to cake mixes, frozen dough, pancake mixes, self-rising flours, processed cheese and cheese foods and beer (in aluminum cans).

Just one slice of individually wrapped processed cheese can contain up to 50 mg of aluminum. It is thought that the cheeseburger may contain one of the highest aluminum contents of any food. Baked goods have approximately 5-15 mg per serving.

An average sized pickle contains 5 to 10 mg if it has been treated in an alum solution which is commonly done. Alum is a form of aluminum sulfate that is used in the pickling solution to firm up the cucumbers.

What can be done about Aluminum Exposure?

Since aluminum is so common and widespread in the environment, people cannot avoid exposure to aluminum.

Make sure all medications have child-proof caps so children will not accidentally eat them.

All of us have small amounts of aluminum in our bodies. Aluminum can be measured in blood, bones, feces, or urine. Urine and blood aluminum measurements can tell you whether you have been exposed to larger-than-normal amounts of aluminum.

Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you; may include chelating the aluminum out of your body.

Your doctor can instruct you on how to avoid exposure to excess aluminum from your diet and other sources.

To help reduce your chances of getting aluminum toxicity, take steps to avoid the following if they contain aluminum: a) Antacids b) Antiperspirants c) Anti-Depressants – talk to your doctor about these.

Talk to your doctor about your risk of aluminum poisoning from dialysis, immunizations that contain aluminum, and total parenteral nutrition solutions.

Technical Facts: Atomic Number (number of protons in the nucleus): 13 Atomic Symbol (on the Periodic Table of Elements): Al Atomic Weight (average mass of the atom): 26.9815386 Density: 2.70 grams per cubic centimeter Phase at Room Temperature: Solid Melting Point: 1,220.58 degrees Fahrenheit (660.32 degrees Celsius) Boiling Point: 4,566 degrees F (2,519 degrees C)

More: For more information on aluminium toxicity see sources for this article below.

Sources used for this article:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/aluminium.htm
http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/13/aluminium
http://www.livescience.com/28865-aluminum.html
http://www.drpepi.com/aluminum-poisoning.php
http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=164929

[The information contained in this article is believed to be reliable. I have taken every precaution to verify its accuracy; I am not a medical professional and make no warranties, representations or guarantees of any kind as to its accuracy. Medical knowledge is in a constant state of change, and what I have written here may be out of date by the time you read it. The information that I have provided here is for informational purposes only and not for use in diagnosing any condition that you may or may not have. Always consult with you doctor before treating yourself.]