View Full Version : Real dangers of Aluminum cookware?
I've seen the warnings that uncoated aluminum may be linked to Alzheimer's. How real of a threat is this? It is another blown out of proportion BPA scare, or are there hard facts to prove that using an aluminum pot 50-100 times a year is going to cause any harm?
I've also seen that they are safe for boiling water, but not for direct contact with food. How is there any difference?
I bought a mini trangia today mostly for the burner, frypan, and pot stand, but I like the whole kit. It uses an aluminum pot.
max patch
09-16-2008, 12:35
I used the aluminum cookset that comes with the Svea 123 on my thru and
I'm sorry, what was the question again?
I used the aluminum cookset that comes with the Svea 123 on my thru and
I'm sorry, what was the question again?
I chuckled. :D
max patch
09-16-2008, 12:53
Probably not.
The amount of aluminum that can leach from cookware is a tiny amount of what we are already exposed to on a daily basis, so I don't think it is something I would worry about.
However, the effect of using aluminum cookwear as a factor in Alzheimers has not been scientifically proved or disproved as far as I know.
I don't worry about it.
I beleive the 'aluminum causes Alzheimer's' idea has been confirmed as a myth. even more blown out of proportion than BPA, which actually can cause some slight problems
Charles DeCarli, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, explains:
"I believe the connection between aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease is a myth... To date, there is no conclusive evidence that patients experiencing aluminum toxicity have a greater incidence of Alzheimer's Disease...studies of the total amount of aluminum in the body of patients with Alzheimer's Disease show no increase in aluminum concentrations as compared to healthy individuals. "
Good then. I should have no concerns cooking my noodles in my AL pot and scraping every last bite out with a ti spork??
:D
I would not worry a bit,enjoy your meals without concern.
I used the aluminum cookset that comes with the Svea 123 on my thru and
I'm sorry, what was the question again?
Funny, it made me laugh. :banana
Dances with Mice
09-16-2008, 13:44
Aluminum is much safer than cast iron or stainless steel.
Because cast iron and stainless steel really hurt when you drop them on your toes.
Other than that there's no safety difference.
I have a Stainless steel set (a few of them) and they are not heavy. My Coleman solo cook set is stainless, it’s 25-years old and going strong and somewhat lightweight. I would have no problems if it dropped on my foot even when barefoot, unless it had hot food in it.
Everything gives you cancer. Don't worry about it.
OldStormcrow
09-16-2008, 15:28
Just don't do the "cowboy thing" and scrub your pot out really shiny with sand or silt every evening. This works great until it wears through the bottom of your fairly soft aluminum cookware. Don't ask me how I know.....
BobTheBuilder
09-16-2008, 15:44
I used to wash glassware in a biology lab and would read the various technical info laying around on my lunch break. Alot of it was research about the relationship between aluminum and alzheimers. They found large amounts of aluminum in the brains of alzheimers patients, but the debate was never settled as to whether it was a cause or effect. Having said that, I cook with stainless steel at home, but aluminum while hiking, so go figure.
The Solemates
09-16-2008, 16:50
Aluminum is much safer than cast iron or stainless steel.
untrue. stainless is 'virtually' safe.
i stopped using aluminum deoderants because of the amount of AL leachants into my skin.
....I cook with stainless steel at home, but aluminum while hiking, so go figure.
As do I. Stainless Steel at home because with copper clad bottoms, steel heats more evenly. Plus it avoids having to worry about the influence of aluminum on Alzheimers.
On the trail, aluminum cooks more evenly and is lighterthan steel. I figure that if a few dozen aluminum contaminated meals most years, and more during my occasional long distance backpacks really is dangerous, symptoms would be so prevalent in peoiple that cook with aluminum regularly, that the connection would no longer be in doubt.
I do wince whenever I see my son give his 4-year-old son food in some of the questionable plastic dishes. There are numerous substitutes and very little serious research has been done on the impacts on young children. Why take a chance on the future of a child, now that the question has been raised?
Weary
take-a-knee
09-16-2008, 17:00
Some population somewhere in Europe that consumed expresso almost daily made in aluminum expresso makers was found to have a much lower rate of Alzheimers than the US. The concern was acidic foods would leach the aluminum salts, coffee is quite acidic.
Alzheimers is referred to by some researchers as Type III Diabetes, it is caused by our screwed up diet.
NICKTHEGREEK
09-16-2008, 17:18
Some population somewhere in Europe that consumed expresso almost daily made in aluminum expresso makers was found to have a much lower rate of Alzheimers than the US. The concern was acidic foods would leach the aluminum salts, coffee is quite acidic.
Alzheimers is referred to by some researchers as Type III Diabetes, it is caused by our screwed up diet.
Mamma mia!
untrue. stainless is 'virtually' safe.
i stopped using aluminum deoderants because of the amount of AL leachants into my skin.
You missed their joke I am guessing....about dropping it on toes.
As for aluminum pots? Sure, you can have reactions with it and acidic food - it can affect food flavor and color, etc. To avoid that just get hard anodized aluminum pots :)
Dances with Mice
09-16-2008, 19:59
You missed their joke I am guessing....about dropping it on toes.Bless your heart, I was starting to wonder about this place.
Wise Old Owl
09-16-2008, 20:30
FINAL WORD
John Koning, M.D., from Riverside General Hospital in Corona, Calif.,
responded, most ingested aluminum is recovered in the feces, and much more
is ingested by a person taking antacids than one could ever leach from an
aluminum pan. Dr. Levick has thrown away his pots and pans to no avail.?
Researchers still are investigating the connection between aluminum and
Alzheimer's disease. But according to Creighton Phelps, Ph.D., director of
medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association, much recent
data support the theory that brains already damaged by Alzheimer?s disease
may permit entry of abnormally high levels of aluminum.
As FDA and researchers point out, aluminum is ubiquitous. It is the
third most abundant element in the earth's crust (after oxygen and silicon).
It is in air, water and soil, and ultimately in the plants and animals we
eat.
Many over-the-counter medicines also contain aluminum. According to the
Aluminum Association, one antacid tablet can contain 50 milligrams of
aluminum or more, and it is not unusual for a person with an upset stomach
to consume more than 1,000 milligrams, or 1 gram, of aluminum per day. A
buffered aspirin tablet may contain about 10 to 20 milligrams of aluminum.
In contrast, in a worst-case scenario, a person using uncoated aluminum
pans for all cooking and food storage every day would take in an estimated
3.5 milligrams of aluminum daily. Aluminum cookware manufacturers warn that
storing highly acidic or salty foods such as tomato sauce, rhubarb, or
sauerkraut in aluminum pots may cause more aluminum than usual to enter the
food. (Also, undissolved salt and acidic foods allowed to remain in an
aluminum pot will cause pitting on the pot?s surface.) However, aluminum
intake is virtually impossible to avoid, and the amount leached in food from
aluminum cookware is relatively minimal, according to Thomas.
FDA reviewed existing data because of consumer concern and formally
announced in May 1986 that the agency has no information at this time that
the normal dietary intake of aluminum, whether from naturally occurring
levels in food, the use of aluminum cookware, or from aluminum food
additives or drugs, is harmful.
rainmaker
09-16-2008, 21:29
Some years ago I had the occassion to attend a national conference in Mobile, Alabama with a co-worker. After checking into our rooms and cleaning up we were preparing to go to dinner when my friend pulled a plastic bag containing a white crystaline substance out of his luggage. I nearly s**t. I just knew this dude had brought an illegal substance with him, we were going to get caught, and spend time in jail singing, " oh mama, can this really be the end , to be stuck inside of mobile...". The white powder turned out to be backing soda. He was afraid of developing Alzhiemer's if he used a deodorant with aluminum hydroxide.
WetBottom
09-16-2008, 21:34
I too had a co-worker once that was afraid of deodorant!
It's a wonder some people even manage to leave the house. I mean... if their deodorant is trying to destroy them... getting in a car must be impossible.
Hikes in Rain
09-18-2008, 19:06
I only use aluminum pots when I hike and camp. Sure wish it were often enough for me to worry about it being an issue!
TwoForty
09-18-2008, 23:17
You'll expose yourself to more Al from your anti-perspirant than your cookware.
You are correct. I hunt with a friend/brother...We only meet in the fall every year. He works for alcoa/reynolds...about 60 years old. He still remembers my name.:-?
I meant to point out the alzheimer part of the thread. Sorry about that one.:o