| SUMMARY: Everyone is exposed to low levels of aluminum from food, air, and water. Exposure to high levels of aluminum affects breathing, the nervous system, and bones. High levels can also cause birth defects. Aluminum has been found in at least 489 of 1,416 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency. |
What is aluminum?
(Pronounced a-loo'mi-num)
Aluminum occurs naturally and makes up about 8% of the surface of the earth. It is always found combined with other elements in the earth such as minerals and rocks.
Aluminum metal is silver-white and flexible. It is often used in cooking utensils, containers, appliances, and building materials.
It is used in several forms including aluminum nitrate, aluminum oxide, aluminum hydroxide (used in antacids), aluminum chlorohydrate (used in deodorants), and aluminum sulfate (used to treat drinking water). It is used in paints and fireworks, and to produce glass, rubber, and ceramics.
What happens to aluminum when it enters the environment?
How might I be exposed to aluminum?
How can aluminum affect my health?
Low-level exposure to aluminum from food, air, water, or contact with skin is not thought to harm your health. Aluminum, however, is not a necessary substance for our bodies and too much may be harmful.
People who are exposed to high levels of aluminum in air may have respiratory problems including coughing and asthma from breathing dust.
Some studies with high levels in mice and rabbits show that aluminum may harm young animals more because it can cause delays in skeletal and neurologic development.
Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease because those patients have high levels of aluminum in their brains. We do not know whether aluminum causes the disease or whether the buildup of aluminum happens to people who already have the disease.
Infants and adults who received large doses of aluminum as a treatment for another problem developed bone diseases, which suggests that aluminum may cause skeletal problems.
Some sensitive people develop skin rashes from using aluminum chlorohydrate deodorants.
There is no evidence that aluminum affects reproduction in people or animals.
How likely is aluminum to cause cancer?
The Department of Health and Human Services has not classified aluminum for carcinogenicity.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not classified aluminum for carcinogenicity.
The available information has not shown that aluminum is a potential carcinogen.
Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to aluminum?
There are tests to measure aluminum in blood, urine, and feces. The amount in your urine can tell you whether you have been exposed to higher than normal levels of aluminum.
Tests can also detect aluminum in your hair and fingernails. These tests are not routinely performed at your doctor's office, but your doctor can take blood, urine, or tissue samples and send them to a testing laboratory.
Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health?
EPA requires that spills into the environment of 5,000 pounds or more of aluminum sulfate be reported. Special regulations are set for aluminum phosphide because it is a pesticide.
EPA recommends that the concentration of aluminum in drinking water not exceed 0.2 parts of aluminum per million parts of water (0.2 ppm) because of taste and odor problems.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that aluminum cooking utensils, aluminum foil, antiperspirants, antacids, and other aluminum products are generally safe.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) set a maximum concentration limit for aluminum dust in workplace air of 15 milligrams of aluminum per cubic meter of air (15 mg/m³) for an 8-hour workday over a 40-hour week.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended a limit of 10 mg/m³ in workplace air for up to a 10-hour workday over a 40-hour workweek.
Glossary
Where can I get more information?
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.
For more information, contact:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E-29
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 404-639-6000
FAX: 404-639-6315
U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry