What is Aluminum Sulfate? (Wikipedia.org)
Select Committee on GRAS Substances
(SCOGS) Opinion: Aluminum Sulfate (FDA)
Quotes
taken from from the above resource:
“Aluminum
and its salts are found in varying amounts in nearly all foods. In addition
to the aluminum occurring naturally in foods, man can be exposed to the
aluminum added to foods, to that in aluminum antacids he may take, and to that
from aluminum cooking vessels. It has been estimated that the daily aluminum
intake for man from all dietary sources can range from 10 to 100 mg per day and
that of this amount, the intake from aluminum compounds added to food may
average about 20 mg per day, about 75 percent of which is in the form of sodium
aluminum phosphate. In relation to body weight, these amounts are less than
those needed to produce toxic responses in experimental animals.”
“But
the nature of the inorganic compounds at least does not suggest that, ingested
in such small amounts, they would have a different effect than the other
aluminum compounds considered in this report, all of which exhibit low
orders of toxicity.”
“In
the light of the foregoing, the Select Committee concludes that: 1.) There is
no evidence in the available information on aluminum ammonium sulfate, aluminum
potassium sulfate, aluminum sodium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, acidic sodium
aluminum phosphate, basic sodium aluminum phosphate, and aluminum hydroxide
that demonstrates, or suggests reasonable grounds to suspect, a hazard to the
public when they are used at levels that are now current or that might reasonably
be expected in the future.”
Response
to call from Health Canada (Health Canada via Salus Consulting)
Quote
taken from the above response:
“In
regards to Aluminum Sulfate this is a component of Black Mica which we have clearly
listed on the product label. The Aluminum Sulfate is not an issue for several
reasons: a) it is a very very small trace amount but more importantly b)
we did not base a claim off of aluminum sulfate and black mica has been
reviewed for safety and deemed just fine and henceforth aluminum sulfate is the
same...in a comparison there is ascorbic acid in vitamin c but noone makes a
safety complaint on ascorbic acid if Vitamin C in full has been deemed
safe...make sense?”
ChemicalLand21 Product Information
Sheet (ChemicalLand21)
Pay
particular attention to the following sections when reviewing this document:
Applications
General
Description
Aluminum
Sulfate (in this section it is claimed that the sulfate attacks metals)
Aluminum Sulfate (ALUM) product page (General Chemical)
This
site is just one more reference to the widely varied uses of aluminum sulfate,
including lake restoration, soil additives and fertilizer, etc
Aluminum Salts Fact Sheets &
Frequently Asked Questions (Health Canada)
Pay
particular attention to the bullet items that mention “Aluminum sulphate”
WHO Food Additives Series 58
(WHO)
On
page 161 the third paragraph is particularly interesting. It speaks of a
study that showed no association between aluminum in drinking-water and
Alzheimer disease, however there WAS an association between ORGANIC monomeric
aluminum and Alzheimer disease.
Aluminum in Drinking-water
(WHO)
Pay
particular attention to the “Major uses” section
