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Aluminum foil is a fairly common part of kitchens in our households. Besides baking, it is often used to extend the shelf life of food by wrapping food in it and storing it this way in the refrigerator.
Practitioners of alternative medicine also use aluminum foil to treat certain illnesses. However, concerns about its safety have long existed, which have recently begun to be confirmed.
What is the main problem with aluminum foil
The biggest problem with aluminum foil is that it is made of aluminum. It is essentially a heavy metal that is toxic to the body. Aluminum causes various health problems – from mild ones to severe brain damage. Current studies have even shown that it is also associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, aluminum can also cause these conditions:
- memory loss
- lack of concentration
- problems with physical balance
- loss of control over muscle movements
It is also believed that wrapping food in aluminum foil and then storing it in the refrigerator or cooking it in the oven can cause damage to bone structure. This is because aluminum reduces bone density by decalcifying them, making them more brittle.
Other health risks of aluminum
Another significant problem with aluminum foil is that it can cause breathing problems if aluminum particles are inhaled into the lungs. In that case it can cause pulmonary fibrosis. Grilling meat or fish in aluminum foil is also not safe. At high temperatures a large amount of this dangerous metal is released into your food.
The release is even higher if acidic ingredients are added to the food, such as slices of lemon. Researchers from the American University in Sharjah believe that during a single cooking of food in aluminum foil up to 400 mg of aluminum is released into it. This was the finding of chemical engineer and head of the university research team, Dr. Essam Zubaidi. He revealed that if aluminum foil is exposed to high temperatures, the rate of aluminum release into food increases significantly.
He therefore recommends that herbs, tomatoes and citrus fruits such as lemons, limes or oranges should never be baked in aluminum foil.
Conclusion
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the maximum daily intake of aluminum should not exceed 60 mg. This fact makes aluminum foil for cooking and storing food a very dangerous substance, because in just one cooking up to 400 mg can be released from it into the food.
