Who doesn’t love aluminum foil? It practically eliminates having to clean-up after cooking. Sadly, new studies warn of aluminum exposure, and state that foil, in particular, is unsafe to use. One study found that just one meal cooked with foil leached more than six times the amount of aluminum that is considered to be safe.
The debate on the safety of aluminum has been ongoing for decades, but recent studies are enough to make scientists sound the alarm. One study states: 1.) very small amounts of aluminum produce neurotoxicity and this criterion can be satisfied through dietary intake alone, 2.) aluminum crosses the blood brain barrier, 3.) aluminum accumulates in brain tissues over a lifetime, and 4.) that there has been repeated experimental evidence that aluminum causes the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease since 1911.
The study concludes “Immediate steps should be taken to lessen human exposure to Aluminum, which may be the single most aggravating and avoidable factor related to Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Another study found levels of aluminum accumulation were higher in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s than those without the disease.
A recently surfaced 2012 study looked specifically at the safety of aluminum foil and concluded that food cooked in foil could contain more than six times the safe daily intake level for aluminum set by The World Health Organization. The study states that using foil for cooking allows aluminum to enter the body, and that increased cooking temperatures, pH value of the food solution, and salt and spices added to the food increase aluminum exposure. The study states “Aluminum foil is not suitable for cooking.”
The study mentions health effects of aluminum exposure. It warns “aluminum salts can be absorbed by the gut and concentrated in various human tissues including bone, parathyroid, and brain.” It continues “aluminum health effects are far too vast to even being summarized.” The study also mentioned that aluminum reduces the growth rate of human brain cells with more reduced growth occurring at higher aluminum concentrations.
Other sources of aluminum exposure include: Aluminum cans, baking powder, deodorants, cook ware, vaccines, neonatal and pediatric parenteral solutions. Toxicity of Aluminum cans is increased because they are lined with BPA or other toxic plastics.
To avoid aluminum, switch to glass, stainless-steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware, and eliminate the use of foil. Avoid non-stick cookware because Teflon is also known to harm health. It is believed that using unbleached parchment paper on cookie sheets reduces aluminum exposure, but there are no studies to show how effective it is.
The safety of aluminum foil isn’t given much thought because everybody uses it and it is convenient. Thankfully, scientists have continued to study the safety of aluminum so that we can now know that the risks of foil outweigh the benefits.