The production and use of aluminium metal is relatively modern compared to other elements, the first attempts date back to 1760. The first successful experiment was completed in 1824 with the reaction of aluminium chloride and potassium amalgam to produce some metal with a similar appearance to tin. The method used at that time could not yield a large amount of Aluminium and for that reason it remained rare and was more valuable than gold.
Once large-scale industrial methods had been developed to produce aluminium its price dropped and it became commonly used in jewellery, household items, tableware, and foil in the early 20th century. Demand for aluminium increased during World War I and II for light, strong airframes.
By the mid-20th century, aluminium had become an essential part of everyday life. It began being used as a civil engineering material in basic construction and interiors as well as military engineering purposes. Nowadays most aluminium is used in transportation, engineering, construction, and packaging such as aluminium cans.
Aluminium is regularly absorbed into the body in people's diet. It's also used in antiperspirants and in vaccinations to make a stronger immune response (adjuvant). Occupational exposure is the main reason that a person would have a higher aluminium intake, such as aluminium welders and workers in the aluminium industry. A lower performance in neuropsychological tests was only found in people with a very high amount of aluminium in their body and elevated aluminium content has been found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, but it is not clear whether this is a cause or an effect of the disease.
There is conflicting evidence with aluminium's possible carcinogenicity. The idea that antiperspirants containing aluminium being a cause of breast cancer is not supported by consistent scientific evidence or studies of a large enough scale.
Aluminium occurs naturally in ground water but is also routinely added to water as part of drinking water treatment. Aluminium sulphate causes dissolved impurities in water to flocculate and settle to the bottom of water treatment tanks. In several high profile cases unhealthy amounts of aluminium have contaminated drinking water leading to acute health problems.
In the UK, the aluminium level in water is set to prevent potential discolouration of water rather than due to fears of its toxicity. Aluminium at low quantities is not widely believed to pose a significant health risk. However, at high levels, aluminium can cause illness and there is some evidence that long term exposure to moderate levels of aluminium may cause serious health problems.
Aluminium in your drinking water can be detected by the following tests.
Aluminium can be reduced or removed from your drinking water using the following methods.
