I don't want to pump it up, but I am slowly removing the foil from everyday life:
Why is aluminum foil harmful?
Let's see what the foil is? In fact, these are the thinnest sheets of aluminum that contain from 92% to 99% pure metal. And it is this fact that is very disturbing to the scientific world.
In particular, studies by European scientists indicate that some of the metal contained in it can get into products in contact with the foil. In this regard, the greatest danger is represented by aluminum foil, which is used for baking food in the oven. Moreover, the higher the temperature in the oven, the greater the likelihood of metal particles getting into the baked product.
At first glance, everything is obvious. Aluminum is a toxic metal, which means that when this multifunctional material is heated to temperatures above 180 ° C, metal particles can react with the acidic environment of vegetables or the alkaline environment of dairy products, which leads to the leaching of aluminum into food and its subsequent penetration into the body. For example, a study found that beef that was baked in foil for 40 minutes at 200 ° C had 380% more aluminum than before cooking. The chicken baked in aluminum foil contained 200% more of the metal in question. And this circumstance, according to scientists, can threaten the body with intoxication, and lead to serious consequences.
But why, with such obvious harm to humans, the question of using aluminum foil has never been raised before? Moreover, this feature does not prevent the industry from producing not only food foil, but also aluminum pots, which can be found in the kitchen of every housewife.Aluminum cookware is prized for being lightweight and easy to use, and the food in it heats up quickly and does not burn.
By the way, in Soviet times, aluminum dishes were considered the most common kitchen utensils and were produced in accordance with GOST, which means they were approved for use by Soviet medicine. Why, then, did they not pay such close attention to the harm of aluminum?
The fact is that the human body quickly and effectively gets rid of this toxic compound, which enters the body from the outside. The WHO even set the norm - 40 micrograms of aluminum per kilogram of human weight per day. That is, for an average person weighing 75 kg, a daily intake of 3 mg of aluminum in the body should not cause concern.
However, modern scientists claim that the problem goes much deeper. The fact is that in addition to foil and aluminum dishes, a person receives a dose of this chemical compound from a variety of sources. These can be foods (herbs and spices, tea and corn, as well as yellow cheese) or medications (Phosphalugel) that have a high content of this metal. In addition, aluminum is used in the purification of drinking water, which means it enters the body with unboiled water.
It would not be superfluous to say that the industrial production of foil is extremely harmful. The aluminum required for this is obtained from bauxite ores, the extraction of which greatly pollutes the environment, in particular soil and water bodies. In addition, a lot of energy is spent on making foil. All this leads to the fact that this toxic metal enters the body of an average person in a dose that exceeds the permissible norm by more than 3 times!
What is harmful to aluminum for our body
Now let's think about the possible consequences. In fact, aluminum is toxic and can cause anemia, cystitis, damage to the skeletal system, kidneys and liver. Moreover, all this has scientifically proven facts. Also, the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease are found to have a high content of aluminum. This suggests that this metal can become a provoking factor in this terrible disease. Doctors fix a large percentage of aluminum in the lymph nodes of women suffering from breast cancer.
It has also been proven that aluminum in large quantities slows down the growth of brain cells, which is also extremely dangerous, especially for children and adolescents. There is speculation that this toxic metal can cause infertility and some cancers. Finally, food baked in foil is not safe for women "in position", as the toxic metal can penetrate the placental barrier and reach the fetal brain.
And here, many experts agree that a small amount of aluminum is not harmful to a healthy body. However, if a person has liver or kidney problems, or has a predisposition to Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, the regular ingestion of particles of this metal can cause complications or the development of these diseases.
Finally, one more interesting fact. Although there are currently no officially confirmed cases of diseases caused by the use of aluminum foil, countries such as France and Italy, England and Germany, Brazil and Holland have already abandoned the use of this product in cooking. In all other countries, I still use this material in the kitchen, without thinking about the possible consequences.
Recommendations for the use of aluminum cookware and foil
It is worth noting that it is quite problematic to get rid of aluminum present in drinking water and food. But through the dishes and foil, this is much easier to do. If we recall from the course of chemistry, a thin oxide film forms on the surface of this metal. Due to this, on kitchen utensils, this layer becomes dense enough over time to prevent metal contact with food.However, if you clean aluminum dishes with a metal brush, this layer becomes thinner, or even disappears altogether. Fortunately, this is not a problem, says Dr. Gada Bassioni. To restore the protective properties of aluminum dishes, it is enough to take water into it and boil it well, so that the brilliant cleaning surface becomes matte again.
Foil is a little trickier. It is extremely thin and is only suitable for single use. It is impossible to come up with any tricks that help the formation of a protective oxidized layer on it, and therefore the only way to avoid the migration of aluminum particles into food is to limit the use of foil.
According to scientists, most of the harmful compound gets into foods during the preparation of sauces that contain lemon or tomato juice. And if you add salt, as well as other hot seasonings and spices to food, the process of washing out aluminum into food will go even faster. That is why it is advisable not to use aluminum foil for baking dishes, preferring glassware and porcelain. Lemons, tomatoes, and other acidic foods should be avoided if possible. In this case, it is wiser to use cling film.
Using foil for storing frozen food is also not a good option. Instead, look for waxed paper or paper that has been greased with butter. And in order to keep food warm as much as possible, it is better to use a glass container.
To date, there is certainly no scientific evidence that the World Health Organization would take into account to ban the use of aluminum foil for cooking. However, this article aims to warn readers of the potential dangers that aluminum foil poses.
Take care of your health!