Last Updated on July 21, 2022 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A social media post claims that using Aluminium foil or pots causes Cancer and Alzheimer’s. We fact-checked and found this claim to be Mostly false.
The Claim
A Facebook post with the caption “COOK IN STAINLESS OR GLASS – USE NO ALUMINIUM COOKWARE – COOK ON THE STOVE OR IN THE OVEN – AVOID USING MICROWAVE!” displays, “Heat causes the aluminium to ‘leach foil’ to food leading to Alzheimer’s and Cancer.”
A similar post on Twitter reads, “Cooking with Aluminium Foil causes dementia, Alzheimer’s and Cancer.
Fact Check
How Aluminium is used in our daily life?
Aluminium is naturally found in water, air and soil and is used to make beverage cans, pots and pans, airplanes, siding and roofing, and foil. It is also found in various consumer products including antacids, astringents, buffered aspirin, food additives, antiperspirants and cosmetics.
Is the use of Aluminium foil or pot not safe?
Not exactly. Only small amounts of aluminium leach into food cooked using aluminium foil or cookware. However, the body has numerous mechanisms to help rid the body of excess amounts of this metal.
According to the CDC, “Most aluminium in food, water, and medicines leaves your body quickly in the feces. Much of the small amount of aluminium that does enter the bloodstream will quickly leave your body through urine.”
Research shows, “Your body absorbs less than 1% of the background aluminum in food or drinking water. Ninety-five percent of this is cleared by the kidneys.” The average adult eats roughly 7-9 milligrams of aluminum per day. The European Food Safety Authority on the “Safety of aluminium from dietary intake” didn’t find the daily exposure high enough to cause problems in healthy adults. However, Aluminium migration seems to depend on several factors such as the duration and temperature of heating, the composition and the pH value of food, and the presence of other substances (e.g., organic acids, salt and other ions). It further states, “ For most foods, the amount of aluminium added by cooking in aluminium utensils would amount to 0.1 mg aluminium per 100g per serving.” A Research states that for Aluminium toxicity, 30-50 mg/kg body weight is needed.
Does the use of Aluminium foil or pot cause Cancer?
No. There is a lack of scientific evidence proving that using Aluminium foil or pots causes Cancer. The amounts that leach into food cooked using aluminium foil or cookware are very small and deemed safe by researchers. A study published in The Lancet shows, “Aluminium smelter workers do have a higher risk of cancer, but this is due to exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, not aluminium.” Research states, “There are currently no consistent data from epidemiological studies relating to an association between aluminium exposure and breast cancer risk; the majority of studies available to date found no association in this regard.” It further states, “A carcinogenic effect of aluminium has not been proven to date.”
Our expert Dr. Manish Singhal, Senior Oncologist, Apollo Hospital, Delhi, confirms this by adding, “The claim is false as using aluminium foil to cover food does not carry any cancer risk. It does not lead to the leaching of aluminium into the food at normal or slightly high temperatures (such as wrapping hot food in foil). FAO/WHO expert committee has set 1mg/kg body weight of aluminium per day as a safe consumption limit. Moreover, many food items, especially meat, have aluminium in them naturally.”
Does the use of Aluminium cause Alzheimer’s?
No. There is a lack of scientific evidence proving that using Aluminium foil or pots causes Alzheimer’s. Even though aluminum is a potential neurotoxin, this is an extreme situation. Its exposure has been linked to neural issues, but this is never caused by routine dietary exposure. Research states that “health risks posed by exposure to inorganic Al depend on its physical and chemical forms and that the response varies with route of administration, magnitude, duration and frequency of exposure.”
The Alzheimer’s Association considers this a myth and states, “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 of aluminum in causing Alzheimer’s. Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminium pose any threat.”
THIP MEDIA TAKE – The use of aluminium foil or pot is safe. There has been no scientific evidence proving the claim to be true. Hence, it stays mostly false until proven otherwise.
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