Aluminium

Aluminium, we filter that.

Aluminium (or Aluminum) is an extremely abundant heavy metal in the earth’s crust and is often found in the form of silicates such as feldspar. The oxide of aluminum known as bauxite provides a convenient source of uncontaminated ore. Aluminium can be selectively leached from rock and soil to enter any water source. Al3+ is known to exist in groundwater in concentrations ranging from 0.1 ppm to 8.0 ppm. Aluminium can be present as aluminum hydroxide, a residual from the municipal feeding of alum (aluminum sulfate) or as sodium aluminate from clarification or precipitation softening. It has been known to cause deposits in cooling systems and contributes to boiler scale. Aluminum may precipitate at normal drinking water pH levels and accumulate as a white gelatinous deposit.

Aluminium is regulated in public drinking water with a recommended Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL). SMCL’s are used when the taste, odor, or appearance of water may be adversely affected. In this case, the EPA and WHO agree that aluminum above 0.1 ppm may impact color but recognize that level may not be appropriate for all water supplies. US EPA encourages utilities to maintain levels below 0.05 ppm, but recognizes the need to be flexible in this case because of the usefulness of Aluminum salts in the coagulation process. WHO’s guideline of no more than 0.2 ppm is based on the importance of Aluminum as a coagulant and that all municipal systems should be able to keep treated water below this value. Studies linking Aluminum in drinking water to human health issues have been inconclusive.

Health Effects

Aluminum has historically been considered to be relatively non-toxic in healthy individuals, who can tolerate oral daily doses of as much as 7.2 grams of aluminum without any apparent harmful effects. However, there is now abundant evidence that aluminum may cause adverse effects on the nervous system. Kidney disease patients who are exposed to high levels of aluminum in dialysis fluids and medications, develop dialysis encephalopathy, a progressive form of dementia characterized by speech and behavioral changes, tremors, convulsions, and psychosis.

Most experts agree that high levels of aluminum in dialysis fluids and medications are responsible for the dementia, and controlling these levels of aluminum significantly reduces the incidence of this disease. Aluminum has also been associated with severe diseases of the nervous system, such as Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), and Alzheimer's disease, but the association is not completely understood. An unusually high incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's dementia in indigenous populations of Guam and New Guinea suggest a possible correlation with local environmental conditions, which include high levels of aluminum and low levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and food.

It has been demonstrated that 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 onset of the diseases.

Intake of large amounts of aluminum can also cause anaemia, osteomalacia (brittle or soft bones), glucose intolerance, and cardiac arrest in humans. We do not know the effects in humans exposed to low levels of aluminum over a long period, but earlier onset or progression of a wide range of diseases of the nervous system is a distinct possibility.

Humans are constantly being exposed to aluminum via food, air, and water. Aluminum is also used in many drugs (e.g. antacids), consumer products (e.g. cooking utensils) and water treatment processes (as coagulants). The average adult probably takes in about 9 to 14 milligrams of aluminum each day from all exposure routes, but primarily (90 percent) from food, including food processed with aluminum-containing additives, food cooked in aluminum pans and food packaged in aluminum containers. In general, exposure to aluminum from drinking water is very low (below 3 percent) compared with that from food and drugs.

We design & build all of our products to remove & reduce Aluminium in drinking water.

Epic Pure Water Filter Pitcher 76.7%
Epic Nano Water Filter Pitcher 99.5%
Epic Outdoor Adventure Bottle Filter 99.5%