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• Fact Sheets 2004

Aluminium in food and water

1 November 2004


Concerns have been raised in the Australian media about levels of aluminium found in bottled water of up to 1.4mg a litre.

Overall,   the intake of aluminium from bottled drinking water represents a very small percentage of the total exposure of Australians and New Zealanders. FSANZ considers that levels of aluminium in bottled drinking water and in the food supply are safe.

Reasons:

Aluminium occurs in bottled and tap water because of natural leaching from rocks and, in the case of tap water only, from the use of aluminium coagulants in treatment. There is no safety limit for aluminium in water set in Australia or by the World Health Organization (WHO).   But both the WHO and the National Health and Medical Research Council have voluntary quality guidelines that recommend maximum levels of 0.2mg per litre to ensure the water looks clear. Surveys in the US and United Kingdom have found aluminium levels in natural water sources ranging from 0.014mg a litre to 1.2 mg a litre. In Australia aluminium levels have been found in water sources as high as 18mg a litre due to clay minerals that contain alumino-silicates.

In Australian adults, the mean aluminium intake from food and water is estimated to be 5-7 mg /day. Aluminium is permitted as a food additive and is used in colourings, emulsifiers, stabilisers and anti-caking agents. Drinking water contributes to less than 2% of total aluminium consumption.

Pharmaceuticals (such as antacids and buffered analgesics) potentially contribute substantially to the total body burden of aluminium (up to 5000 mg/day in users of antacids). There is also some absorption through the skin from deodorants containing aluminium.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) sets maximum limits for a range of naturally occurring chemicals in bottled water where there could be a safety risk if too high a level was consumed. These include levels for arsenic, barium, borate, cadmium, chromium VI, copper, cyanide, fluoride, lead, manganese, mercury, nitrate, nitrite, selenium, sulphide and zinc. All these chemicals may also be found at low levels in tap water. There are also limits for bacterial contamination and levels of organic matter. FSANZ has not set an upper limit for aluminium in bottled water.

Aluminium in the diet from food and water is poorly absorbed through the gut. Less than 1% of aluminium in water is absorbed and the rest being excreted through the faeces. Of the aluminium absorbed, most is excreted via the kidneys and only a very small amount accumulates in bone, liver and brain tissues.

In the general population, the major concern is related to the association between the intake of aluminium and the neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Higher than average levels of aluminium have also been found in the brains of Alzheimer patients, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed strong reservations about drawing a causal relationship between aluminium in drinking water and Alzheimer’s disease as there are many confounding factors.