Aluminum in vaccines may be linked to health risks
Aluminum used in vaccines may be linked to serious health problems, according to a new study by two UBC researchers. But a medical-health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health says the benefits associated with vaccines outweigh the risks.
“Aluminum is well-demonstrated as a neurotoxin,” said Chris Shaw, a UBC professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences who cowrote the recently published study Aluminum Vaccine Adjuvants: Are They Safe? with lead author Lucija Tomljenovic. “Yes, these are small amounts, for sure, but what can small amounts do? If a small amount can hyperdrive the immune system, it can do something else, and it appears to contribute to motor-neuron loss.”
Aluminum is the most common adjuvant—a chemical substance used to boost the immune system’s response to a vaccine—and has been used in vaccines for almost 90 years. But in their study, which was published in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry , Shaw and Tomljenovic contend that medical science’s understanding of the metallic element’s mechanisms of action in the body remains poor. They argue that experimental research shows that aluminum adjuvants have the potential to induce serious autoimmune disorders, long-term brain inflammation, and associated neurological complications.
Furthermore, they say that because the evaluation of pharmacokinetic properties isn’t required for vaccines, evidence is lacking regarding the safety of simultaneous administration of different vaccines to young children whose nervous systems are rapidly developing.
Aluminum exists in the Earth’s crust and in countless foods, from pickles to microwave popcorn. But although people are exposed to aluminum through the environment and their diet, Shaw and Tomljenovic counter that there’s a big difference between the way food sources of aluminum are absorbed by and excreted from the body and how vaccine-derived aluminum undergoes the same processes.
Tomljenovic, who recently had a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on the link between the metallic element and that neurodegenerative condition, said that only very small amounts of aluminum are needed to produce neurotoxicity and that the substance actively crosses the blood-brain barrier.
“The main problem with aluminum is that even regular dietary intake can have long-term adverse consequences to the nervous system,” she told the Georgia Straight . “This has been verified by studies done in rats who were fed the equivalent of what humans take over a lifetime and then exhibited classical Alzheimer’s symptoms. The control rats fed an alum-free diet did not show such adverse outcomes. The reason for this is that aluminum is highly toxic and poorly excreted.
The Element Aluminum - News
Tomljenovic, who recently had a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease on the link between the metallic element and that neurodegenerative condition, said that only very small amounts of aluminum are needed to produce neurotoxicity and
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Alcoa named Kay Meggers vice president of the company, according to a statement released by the Aluminum maker. Meggers joined the company in 2010 as vice president of corporate initiatives in charge of planning and coordinating strategic initiatives.
Aluminum: A Closer Look at The Element « Taber Extrusions
Aluminum: A Closer Look at The Element
Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth’s crust (about 8%) and is the third most common element after oxygen and silicon. Unlike copper or gold, aluminum cannot be found in nature in the pure state because of its high affinity with oxygen, being so always combined with another element like in alum (KAl(SO century the production process was so expensive and available quantities so small that aluminum was a precious metal ($1200/kg in 1852). Indeed, Napoleon III emperor of France had a baby rattle and some other small objects made of it, and a story tells that during a banquet the most honoured guests were given aluminum utensils, while the other guests were given gold utensils.
Presently, aluminum is the second largest used metal in the world, mainly due to its light weight, high strength and recyclability.
Aluminum is heavily used in the transportation industry because of its durability, strength and lightweight. Aluminum weight is one third of steel or cast iron. Taking into account increased thickness of the aluminum parts compared to steel, 1 kg of aluminum replaces 2 kg of steel, leading to lighter cars, trucks, etc… with reduced fuel consumption and CO generation.
Without aluminum the commercial aircraft industry would not have existed. The new A380 employs 66% of aluminum in the airframe, while a Boeing 747 contains 75 tons of aluminum.
The use of aluminum for the building of ships is increasing year by year. Today, single and multiple hull boats are made entirely of aluminum alloy. This kind of marine applications involve the largest usage of aluminum per produced object (400 ton) compared to a large, all aluminum car (1 ton).
The usage of aluminum is increasing in the military field too, where it is used as a substitute for the steel.
In building and construction aluminum find a wide variety of applications, and its use is steadily increasing. It can be used to manufacture structural elements, as in bridges (for example, the Corbin Bridge in Pennsylvania has been retrofitted with an extruded aluminum deck, which is lighter than the previous deck made of steel and timber, allowing the bridge to sustain 22 tons load compared to the previous 7 tons). Curtainwall made of extruded aluminum and glass are very attractive for the design of new buildings or retrofit of old ones. Windows made of extruded aluminum are attractive, energy-efficient (with thermal broken technology), and reliable. Domes for gymnasiums, schools, theme parks, storage facilities, multi-purpose arenas, industrial roof systems, and churches are made with aluminum because of its strength and low weight. Aluminum is one of the best material also in the roof construction, because of its strength against corrosion and, hence, weathering and influence of pollutants in the atmosphere. Low maintenance aluminum facades are used to cover old houses facades made with thin or wide wooden clapboard.
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Aluminum
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Aluminum
At about 8 percent, aluminum is the third most abundant element in our planet's crust. ... Source: Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust and ...
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Aluminum, a chemical element by its own properties, helped in the evolution of mankind. ... Since ages, aluminum has been one of the most widely used metals in the world. ...