What are the health risks of aluminum exposure?
Ask the doctor
Q. Aluminum is an ingredient in so many products. What are the health risks of aluminum exposure?
A. The problem is that there is no agreed upon safe level of aluminum. But we do know that a person with healthy kidneys is extremely unlikely to develop aluminum poisoning. For example, no adverse health effects have been proven from the following:
- cooking with aluminum pots and pans
- using deodorants with aluminum
- ingesting the tiny amounts of aluminum in foods and beverages.
The kidneys excrete the aluminum we absorb from our intestines. This process is usually very efficient. It prevents us from building up toxic levels of aluminum.
People with severly impaired kidneys may have higher blood levels of aluminum compared to people with normal kidneys. But even they rarely show signs of aluminum poisoning.
That being said, aluminum poisoning can happen. But diagnosing the rare case is very challenging. Symptoms include confusion, muscle weakness, and bone pain. Most often the symptoms are actually caused by something other than aluminum poisoning.
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About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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