Aluminum Foil May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Many people use aluminum foil on a daily basis for wrapping, storing, and cooking. The foil is easy to use, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. With such widespread use and popularity, it may come as a shock to learn that it's been found that using aluminum foil can have adverse effects on health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed guidelines as to how much aluminum is safe for humans to ingest - a safe daily intake of 40mg per kilogram of body weight per day. But it seems we take in far more than that amount on a daily basis, as aluminum is present in far more products than the foil we're expecting it to be found.

As per Huffington Post, "Aluminum is present in corn, yellow cheese, salt, herbs, spices and tea. It's used in cooking utensils, as well as in pharmacological agents like antacids and antiperspirants. Aluminum sulfate, which is derived from aluminum, is used as a coagulant during the purification process of drinking water."

According to Best Healthy Guide, all this aluminum can cause major health complications. "The problem with this kitchen item is its neurotoxic nature, which negatively affects the brain function and it was even found to trigger the onset of Alzheimer`s disease. Exposure to this metal may lead to mental decline and loss of memory, balance, bodily control, and coordination." Huffington Post adds, "High concentrations of aluminum have been detected in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer's disease."

Additionally, "Cooking with aluminum foil impacts the bones, due to the fact that the metal accumulates in the bones and leads to loss of calcium which is of utmost importance for proper bone health. Cooking with aluminum foil was also found to cause pulmonary fibrosis and other respiratory issues."

Best Healthy Guide explains how cooking with aluminum makes its way into the system, "When exposed to high temperatures through baking or grilling, the little bits of the metal end up in the food. Even if these tiny pieces are not released, adding certain spices or lemons may cause chemical leaching of aluminum. A meal cooked in aluminum foil may contain up to 400 mg of aluminum."

While Alz.org, Alzheimer's Association, notes, "During the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum emerged as a possible suspect in Alzheimer's. This suspicion led to concern about exposure to aluminum through everyday sources such as pots and pans, beverage cans, antacids and antiperspirants. Since then, studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer's. Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminum pose any threat," they don't contradict the notion that cooking with foil can have potential hazards.

So go ahead and continue to wrap your food in foil to refrigerate or freeze, but choose another option for cooking. Use glass or porcelain for the safest bet. Convenience should never compromise your health.