Aluminum cookware safety issues
There's been concern over the years about the possible health issues with aluminum cookware as it pertains to Alzheimers. I use my pressure cooker often and today realized it's aluminum. I haven't seen any recent stories around- does anyone have any current info or data on the safety of aluminum cookware? Have there been any reliable new studies to back up the old concerns or debunk them? Thought I'd do some research before I go out and invest in a stainless pressure cooker.
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8 Comments:
I would never buy an aluminum pressure cooker. Aluminum is a softer metal and bends with pressure and time. Go buy the stainless one and throw that thing out. How old is it?
JerzeeTomato at 4:14PM on 04/15/09
Shoot, I read something very recently by someone very trustworthy who said it's not proven to be an issue, but I can't remember where it was. I'll get back to you if I figure it out.
Embackus at 4:15PM on 04/15/09
@Jerzee....I got this one for Christmas and use it a couple times a month. Some of my recipes have acid in them which also concerns me with the aluminum, not sure if it reacts.
kathyvegas at 4:21PM on 04/15/09
Check out #4 on the Myths page on the Alzheimer's Association's own web site:
Myth 4: Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots and pans can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
Reality: 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.
The Association has other interesting myths on that page as well.
LunaPierCook at 4:22PM on 04/15/09
Here's some stuff I pulled from an old SE thread:
"The link to Alzheimers is a debunked theory that came about due to a flawed study done in the 1970’s. Time magazine & the media sensationalized it, some in the medical community hit the panic button & ever since there has been widespread paranoia.
Regardless, if you choose to believe there is a link…our daily aluminum intake isn’t coming from cookware. Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth, comprising 8% of the earths crust. We eat, drink & breathe aluminum every day.
Here’s a comparison of aluminum ingested by various sources:
Cookware: 1-3.5 mg daily
Natural Sources (water, food, air): 2-10 mg daily
Food Additives: 25-50 mg daily
Buffered Aspirin: 126-728 mg per dose
Some Antacids: 840-5000 mg per dose
Here’s an FDA overview article:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00036.html
There is a lot on the internet regarding this issue, both pro & con. Like every other debate over what’s good and what’s bad (eggs, butter, fats, carbs, etc…) a common sense approach needs to be taken & scientific fact ought to trump disproved theories."
Kerosena at 4:25PM on 04/15/09
@ LunaOier and Kerosena.....thank you so much! That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Replacing it isn't so immediate now although the next one I get will be stainless. They seem sturdier for cooking under pressure.
kathyvegas at 4:46PM on 04/15/09
LunaOier and Kerosena: well done. Just wanted to add a third voice agreeing with them. There is absolutely 0 causal link between aluminum and alzheimers.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc.
Although, I asked an alzheimers researcher friend of mine once, and she informed me that there is some evidence that alzheimers can cause higher levels of aluminum in the body, but never the other way around.
Sharkky9 at 1:10AM on 04/16/09
I do find that it lends a nasty flavor to very acidic things, I bought a pot to make pickle in and I think it was aluminium and it tasted all metallic and nasty.
Regardless of the health consequences I'd avoid cooking really acidic things in it, eg acidic fruits and vinegar.
jennywenny at 6:24PM on 04/16/09