How much aluminium is safe to consume?
- Vaccine Affect
- Feb 9, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 7, 2024
European Safety Food Authority Advises on the Safety of Aluminium in Food
Total dietary exposure to aluminium was estimated from studies from several European countries, including Netherlands, France, UK and Sweden. The Panel found large individual variations in dietary exposure can occur. The mean dietary exposure of adults varied from 0.2 to 1.5 mg/kg bw/per week. In children and young people, the highest exposures ranged from 0.7 to 2.3 mg/kg bw/per week. (bw - body weight)
Given the persistence of aluminium in the body, the Panel found it appropriate to establish a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) rather than a tolerable daily intake, and established a TWI of 1 mg/kg bw/week.
EFSA Advises on the Safety of Aluminium in Food
Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental
and Emerging Risks
Large individual variations in dietary exposure to aluminium can occur in adults and children depending on the dietary habits. Exposure levels at the 97.5th percentile in children have been estimated to be in the range of 0.7-2.3 mg/kg bw/w for children aged 3-15 years in France as well as 2.3 mg/kg bw/w for 1.5-4.5 years old and 1.7 mg/kg bw/w for 4-18 year olds in the UK (EFSA, 2008).
Potential exposure in breast-fed infants was estimated to be less than 0.07 mg/kg bw/w while potential dietary exposures from infant formulae and food manufactured specially for infants was estimated to be 0.10-0.78 mg/kg bw/w in the period 0-12 months, with soybased formulae showing the highest levels.
Indeed, the concentration in ready-made milk varies from 176 to 700 µg/L whereas the aluminium content in powders used to make milk formulations can vary from 2.4 to 4.3 µg/g (EFSA, 2008).