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LynxRufus
Stranger
Registered: 08/09/05
Posts: 99
Last seen: 16 years, 11 months
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Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans?
#5272601 - 02/07/06 08:52 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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Hey everyone, I'm not a doctor or medical / mycological researcher, and I'm not preaching the gospel, but thought I would point out the following threads:
http://forums.mycotopia.net/showthread.php?t=7108
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=5272585&page=0&vc=#Post5272585
It seems that there are reports of mycelium eating through aluminum, which may present a health risk. It's something for y'all to consider in your endeavors.
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FooMan



Registered: 02/02/05
Posts: 8,957
Loc: Earth
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: LynxRufus]
#5272635 - 02/07/06 09:02 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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Damn! I've been lining my tubs with foil to block light for awhile now! Is there actual scientific research backing this up? I don't want alzheimers, my memory is pretty shot already
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Quick WBS Prep
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Fraggin
Multi-Faceted


Registered: 01/05/05
Posts: 8,707
Last seen: 8 years, 21 days
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: FooMan]
#5272656 - 02/07/06 09:10 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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Question: I have heard that aluminum may be involved in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. Does use of aluminum cookware and drinking from aluminum beverage cans place me at greater risk for developing this disease.
Answer: Aluminum is one of the most abundant elements found in the environment. Therefore, human exposure to this metal is common and unavoidable. However, intake is relatively low because this element is highly insoluble in many of its naturally occurring forms. The significance of environmental contact with aluminum is further diminished by the fact that less than 1% of that taken into the body orally is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
The average human intake is estimated to be between 30 and 50 mg per day. This intake comes primarily from foods, drinking water, and pharmaceuticals. Based on the maximum levels reported in drinking water, less than 1/4 of the total intake comes from water. Some common food additives contain aluminum. Due to certain additives, processed cheese and cornbread are two major contributors to high aluminum exposures in the American diet. With regard to pharmaceuticals, some common over-the-counter medications such as antacids and buffered aspirin contain aluminum to increase the daily intake significantly.
Over the last few years, there has been concern about the exposures resulting from leaching of aluminum from cookware and beverage cans. However, as a general rule, this contributes a relatively small amount to the total daily intake. Aluminum beverage cans are usually coated with a polymer to minimize such leaching. Leaching from aluminum cookware becomes potentially significant only when cooking highly basic or acidic foods. For example, in one study, tomato sauce cooked in aluminum pans was found to accumulate 3-6 mg aluminum per 100 g serving.
Certain aluminum compounds have been found to be an important component of the neurological damage characteristics of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Much research over the last decade has focused on the role of aluminum in the development of this disease. At this point, its role is still not clearly defined. Since AD is a chronic disease which may take a long time to develop, long-term exposure is the most important measure of intake. Long-term exposure is easiest to estimate for drinking water exposures. Epidemiological studies attempting to link AD with exposures in drinking water have been inconclusive and contradictory. Thus, the significance of increased aluminum intake with regard to onset of AD has not been determined.
Question answered by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Fraggin
Multi-Faceted


Registered: 01/05/05
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Last seen: 8 years, 21 days
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: Fraggin]
#5272658 - 02/07/06 09:11 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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Aluminium and Alzheimer's disease
A number of environmental factors have been put forward as possible contributory causes of Alzheimer's disease in some people. Among these is aluminium.
There is circumstantial evidence linking this metal with Alzheimer's disease but no causal relationship has yet been proved. As evidence for other causes continues to grow, a possible link with aluminium seems increasingly unlikely.
This information sheet looks at the circumstantial evidence and current medical and scientific views.
Researchers believe that, in the majority of those affected, Alzheimer's disease results from a combination of different risk factors rather than a single cause.
Such factors, which vary from person to person, may include age, genetic predisposition, other diseases or environmental agents.
The chief symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are progressive decline of memory and other higher mental functions. These changes are associated with the loss of brain cells and the development of two kinds of microscopic damage in the brain - the so-called plaques and tangles. Plaques consist of an abnormal deposit of a particular protein called beta amyloid between the brain cells. Tangles occur within cells and are formed from abnormal thread-like deposits of a protein called tau, which is normally part of the cell's 'skeleton'.
For a discussion of other factors see the Alzheimer's Society information sheets: Am I at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease? and Genetics and Alzheimer's disease.
Evidence linking aluminium and Alzheimer's disease
The 'aluminium hypothesis' was first put forward in 1965 when it was shown that the injection of aluminium compounds into rabbits caused tangle-like formations in nerve cells.
However, these experimental tangles differ in structure and composition from Alzheimer tangles and the human brain.
Since then a number of other circumstantial links between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease have been claimed.
Aluminium has been shown to be associated with both plaques and tangles in the Alzheimer brain. Some groups have disputed these claims and, in any case, the presence of aluminium does not prove a causal relationship - it is more likely to be a harmless secondary association. It has been claimed that the brain content of aluminium is increased in Alzheimer's disease. However, recent studies in which Alzheimer brains were carefully compared with normal brains failed to find any difference in the overall amount of aluminium. Various investigations have suggested that Alzheimer's disease is more common in areas where the aluminium content in water supplies is highest, but the method and results of these studies have been questioned. In any case, the amount of aluminium present in water supplies is minute compared with other dietary sources. Studies of other sources of aluminium such as tea, antacid medications and antiperspirants have also failed to show a positive association with Alzheimer's disease. People with kidney failure are unable to excrete aluminium and yet they frequently have to be treated with compounds that contain aluminium. Studies of the brains of such patients have shown that aluminium accumulates in nerve cells that are particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease. However, even after years of high exposure to aluminium, patients with kidney failure do not develop dementia or the hallmark pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease. Treatment with desferrioxamine (DFO), a drug which binds aluminium and removes it from body tissues, has been reported to slow down the mental decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, the effect is small, the drug has to be given by injection into muscle and it also has a major effect on iron stores in the body. Since there is evidence that iron is involved in age-related 'oxidative' damage to tissues, the effects of DFO may have nothing to do with aluminium. There have been many experimental studies on animals and on isolated cells showing that aluminium has toxic effects on the nervous system, but in almost all cases the doses of aluminium used were much higher than those occurring naturally in tissues. Sources of aluminium
The main sources of environmental aluminium are:
Food - many foods contain small amounts of aluminium. Packaging - food may come into contact with aluminium through packaging or using aluminium foil or trays for freezing, storing or cooking. However, the amount of aluminium added to food in this way is usually negligible. Pans - cooking in uncoated aluminium utensils can increase the amount of aluminium in certain foods such as fruits which are high in acid. Cooking foods in coated, non-stick or hard anodised aluminium pans adds virtually no aluminium to food. Medicines - many antacids used for treating indigestion contain large amounts of aluminium compounds but normally little of the aluminium is absorbed. Water - aluminium is naturally present in some water and, in addition, aluminium sulphate is widely used in the treatment of public water supplies. However, intake of aluminium from water is very small in comparison with other sources. Air - some aluminium from the air may enter the lungs as dust but this form is highly insoluble and hardly any reaches the rest of the body.
Only a minute proportion of the aluminium we ingest from these various sources is absorbed by the body, and even this small fraction is usually excreted in the urine or harmlessly deposited in bone which acts as a 'sink' to remove aluminium.
So effective are these mechanisms that it is estimated that the adult human body contains 30-50mg of aluminium - far less than the amount in a single antacid tablet!
The expert view on aluminium
There have been numerous conferences on aluminium and health ever since the idea that the metal might be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease was first proposed.
The medical research community, international and government regulatory agencies and the aluminium industry all review the evidence at frequent intervals.
The overwhelming medical and scientific opinion is that the findings outlined above do not convincingly demonstrate a causal relationship between aluminium and Alzheimer's disease, and that no useful medical or public health recommendations can be made, at least at present.
It has proved extremely difficult to devise studies which could resolve this problem one way or another.
Alzheimer's is a common disease with multiple causes, while aluminium is widepread in the environment and there are no methods that allow us to measure an individual's 'body burden' or lifetime exposure to this element.
It is possible that suitable 'transgenic' animal models which develop the pathological features of Alzheimer's disease in their brains will enable scientists to determine if such changes are accelerated or exacerbated by aluminium at levels which correspond to normal human exposure.
Alzheimer's Society Information Sheet June 2002
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FooMan



Registered: 02/02/05
Posts: 8,957
Loc: Earth
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: Fraggin]
#5272667 - 02/07/06 09:17 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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>>>Due to certain additives, processed cheese and cornbread are two major contributors to high aluminum exposures in the American diet.
Awwww DAMN! Two things I love in life, Cheese Whiz and cornbread!
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Quick WBS Prep
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LynxRufus
Stranger
Registered: 08/09/05
Posts: 99
Last seen: 16 years, 11 months
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: FooMan]
#5272695 - 02/07/06 09:26 AM (18 years, 13 days ago) |
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Does it matter how I am exposed to aluminum?
Yes. While it is true that most of our daily intake of aluminum comes from food, only a very small percentage - usually less than 1% - is actually absorbed by the body. Absorption depends on a variety of factors, including the type of aluminum compound, the composition of the food eaten, and the age and the health of the person consuming the food.
Aluminum in drinking water is better absorbed by the body (i.e., is more "bioavailable") than aluminum in food, even though it is responsible for only a small fraction of the total daily intake. This means that drinking water could be a more significant source of aluminum than food. The reason for the difference in the absorption rates is unknown; much more research needs to be done before definitive conclusions can be drawn.
What are the health risks associated with aluminum?
Historically, aluminum has been considered relatively non-toxic; healthy individuals can tolerate oral doses as high as 7 grams per day without experiencing harmful effects. However, abundant evidence now shows that aluminum may adversely affect the nervous system in humans and animals.
Dialysis encephalopathy
Patients with kidney disease who undergo dialysis regularly and who consequently may be exposed to high levels of aluminum in dialysis fluids and medications can develop dialysis encephalopathy, a progressive form of dementia characterized by tremors, convulsions, psychosis and other changes in speech and behaviour. Most experts agree that high levels of aluminum in dialysis fluids and medications are responsible for the dementia, and that controlling the levels of aluminum significantly reduces the incidence of this disease.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most common primary degenerative brain disease in Canada and is a leading cause of death. The first recognizable symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which mark the start of progressive mental deterioration, include memory lapses, disorientation, confusion, and depression.
Scientists are investigating possible theories to determine the causes of Alzheimer's disease. These theories take into account the roles of genetic factors, abnormal proteins, infectious agents, environmental agents including aluminum, other metals or solvents, and metabolic changes. Growing evidence suggests that complex interactions exist between genetic predisposition and aging, for example, and the series of events leading to the onset of the disease.
Aluminum exposure was suggested as a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease because the brain cells of Alzheimer's patients can contain from 10 to 30 times the normal concentrations of aluminum. However, it is not clear whether the accumulation of aluminum is a cause or a result of the disease.
Several studies on humans have shown a slightly increased risk of Alzheimer's disease or related dementia in communities where the drinking water contains high concentrations of aluminum. On the other hand, a number of other studies have shown no relationship between aluminum in drinking water and the onset of dementia. In addition, scientists have been unable to induce Alzheimer's disease-type changes in the brains of laboratory animals expo sed to aluminum, or to explain the absence of Alzheimer's disease-type changes in brains of patients suffering from dialysis encephalopathy. Some studies have also shown little or no accumulation of aluminum in the brain tissues of Alzheimer's patients.
After weighing all the evidence, experts have concluded that even though a true association between dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and high concentrations of aluminum in drinking water has not yet been proven, the possibility cannot be ruled out, especially for the most elderly.
Lou Gehrig's and Parkinson's diseases
Aluminum has also been associated with other severe diseases of the nervous system, such as Lou Gehrig's and Parkinson's diseases. As with Alzheimer's disease, the significance, if any, of the association is unknown.
An unusually high incidence of Lou Gehrig's and Parkinson's diseases in indigenous populations in Guam and New Guinea suggests a possible correlation between the diseases and local environmental conditions, including high levels of aluminum and low levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and food. As with Alzheimer's, humans with these disorders tend to have high levels of aluminum in some areas of their brains, although it has not been demonstrated that the presence of aluminum in the brain initiates the onset of the diseases. Other possible contributing factors that need to be examined more closely include the diet of the Guam population - in particular, the seeds of the false sago palm, which contain a toxic amino acid that causes a condition similar to Lou Gehrig's disease in monkeys - as well as the possibility that the dementia is caused by genetic rather than environmental factors.
from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/aluminum-aluminium_e.html
So it's more than just Alzheimer's that people need to consider. Wonder if the aluminum compound is changed any by mycelium? I mean, wouldn't the mycelium make it more bioabavailable?
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Fraggin
Multi-Faceted


Registered: 01/05/05
Posts: 8,707
Last seen: 8 years, 21 days
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: LynxRufus]
#5272977 - 02/07/06 11:16 AM (18 years, 12 days ago) |
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Mushrooms and Toxic Wastes
In heavily industrialized areas, the soils are typically contaminated with a wide variety of pollutants, particularly petroleum-based compounds, polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), heavy metals, pesticide-related compounds, and even radioactive wastes. Mushrooms grown in polluted environments can absorb toxins directly into their tissues, especially heavy metals (Bressa, 1988; Stijve 1974, 1976, 1992). As a result, mushrooms grown in these environments should not be eaten. Recently, a visitor to Ternobyl, a city about 60 miles from Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear power plant accident, returned to the United States with a jar of pickled mushrooms. The mushrooms were radioactive enough to set off Geiger counter alarms as the baggage was being processed. Customs officials promptly confiscated the mushrooms. Unfortunately, most toxins are not so readily detected.
A number of fungi can, however, be used to detoxify contaminated environments, in a process called "bioremediation." The white rot fungi (particularly Phanerochaete chrysosporium) and brown rot fungi (notably Gloephyllum species) are the most widely used. Most of these wood-rotters produce lignin peroxidases and cellulases, which have unusually powerful degradative properties. These extracellular enzymes have evolved to break down plant fiber primarily lignin-cellulose, the structural component in woody plants, into simpler forms. By happenstance, these same enzymes also reduce recalcitrant hydrocarbons and other manufactured toxins. Given the number of industrial pollutants that are hydrocarbon-based, fungi are excellent candidates for toxic waste cleanup and are viewed by scientists and government agencies with increasing interest. Current and prospective future uses include the detoxification of PCB (polychloralbiphenols), PCP (penrachlorophenol), oil, and pesticide/herbicide residues. They are even being explored for ameliorating the impact of radioactive wastes by sequestering heavy metals.
Bioremediation of toxic waste sites is especially attractive because the environment is treated in situ. The contaminated soils do not have to be hauled away, eliminating the extraordinary expense of handling, transportation, and storage. Since these fungi have the ability to reduce complex hydrocarbons into elemental compounds, these compounds pose no threat to the environment. Indeed, these former pollutants could even be considered "fertilizer," helping rather than harming the nutritional base of soils.
The higher fungi should not be disqualified for bioremediation just because they produce an edible fruitbody. Indeed, this group may hold answers to many of the toxic waste problems. Mushrooms grown from toxic wastes are best not eaten, as residual heavy metal toxins may be concentrated within the mushrooms.
Page Last Updated: January 2, 2006 agroforestry.net is Copyright ?1997-2006. All rights reserved.
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RemainRandom50
Do You Need ToKnow Me?
Registered: 01/15/06
Posts: 1,695
Last seen: 14 years, 10 months
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Re: Health Risk Associated with Using Aluminum Pans? [Re: Fraggin]
#5273328 - 02/07/06 12:44 PM (18 years, 12 days ago) |
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damn, i could REALLY care less lol.
-------------------- At times I get consumed by my everyday life and will leave the Shroomery. Yet, every time drugs come falling into my life for fun.....I always think about the Shroomery and then I'm back!
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