Aluminium

Aluminium sulfate is used as a flocculating agent in the purification of drinking water and waste water treatment plants. In water purification, it causes impurities to coagulate which are removed as the particulate settles to the bottom of the container or more easily filtered. This process is called coagulation or flocculation. After performing its role the Alum is filtered from the water but a small fraction dissolves and is not removed.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommend that:

“Based on aesthetic problems caused by post-flocculation, the concentration of acid-soluble aluminium in drinking water should not exceed 0.2 mg/L.”

There has been ongoing debate in the water industry for a number of years regarding the use of alum in the water treatment process and the ‘suspicion’ that aluminium is linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Even though aluminum is not considered to be a heavy metal like lead, it can be toxic in excessive amounts and even in small amounts if it is deposited in the brain. Many of the symptoms of aluminum toxicity mimic those of Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis.

Colic, rickets, gastrointestinal problems, interference with the metabolism of calcium, extreme nervousness, anemia, headaches, decreased liver and kidney function, memory loss, speech problems, softening of the bones, and aching muscles can all be caused by aluminum toxicity.

Aluminum is excreted by the kidneys, therefore toxic amounts can impair kidney function. Aluminum can also accumulate in the brain causing seizures and reduced mental alertness

Many municipal water supplies are treated with both aluminum sulfate and aluminum fluoride. When there is a high level of absorption of aluminum and silicon, the combination can result in an accumulation of certain compounds in the cerebral cortex and can prevent nerve impulses being carried to and from the brain properly.

It can be absorbed into the body through the digestive tract, the lungs and the skin, and is also absorbed by and accumulates in the bodies tissues. The biggest source of aluminum comes from our municipal water supplies.

You can read more about Aluminium and the health problems it causes here.