The causes of declines in bees and other pollinators remains an on-going debate. While recent attention has focussed upon pesticides, other environmental pollutants have largely been ignored. Aluminium is the most significant environmental contaminant of recent times and we speculated that it could be a factor in pollinator decline. Herein we have measured the content of aluminium in bumblebee ...

BACKGROUND Aluminium-containing phosphate binders have long been used for treatment of hyperphosphatemia in dialysis patients. Their safety became controversial in the early 1980's after reports of aluminium related neurological and bone disease began to appear. Available historical evidence however, suggests that neurological toxicity may have primarily been caused by excessive exposure to alu...

The present experiment was carried out to investigate the effectivness of -lipoic acid in allevating the toxicity of aluminium phosphide on biochemical parameters, free radicals and enzyme activities in plasma, liver and kidney of male rats. Animals were orally treated with aluminium phosphide, -lipoic acid and their combination for 30 consecutive days. Treatment with aluminium phosphide led to...

Work-related asthma has been documented in workers employed in the primary aluminium industry and in the production of aluminium salts. The role of aluminium in the development of occupational asthma has, however, never been convincingly substantiated. We investigated a subject who experienced asthmatic reactions related to manual metal arc welding on aluminium. Challenge exposure to aluminium ...

Chronic aluminium exposure and toxicity related to aluminium absorption continue to be a problem for many patients with renal failure [1]. The two most prevalent sources of aluminium are water used to prepare dialysate and aluminium-containing phosphate binders. However, calcium-based binders, Sevelamer or others, have replaced aluminium phosphate binders and reverse osmosis has been used for w...

BACKGROUND Progressive multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition of unknown aetiology and few therapeutic options. Human exposure to aluminium has been linked with multiple sclerosis and affected individuals are known to excrete unusually high amounts of aluminium in their urine. Silicon-rich mineral waters facilitate the removal of aluminium from the body in urine and herein we have...

For many years aluminium was not considered harmful to human health because of its relatively low bioavailability. In 1965, however, animal experiments suggested a possible connection between aluminium and Alzheimer’s disease. Oral intake of foodstuffs would appear to be the most important source of aluminium. Consequently, the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives reduced the provis...

OBJECTIVES The study attempts to define biological indicators of aluminium uptake and excretion in workers exposed to airborne aluminium compounds in a primary aluminium smelter. Also, this study defines the total and respirable aluminium dust fractions in two different potrooms, and correlates their concentrations with biological indicators in this group of workers. METHODS Air was sampled a...

The aetiology of breast cancer is multifactorial. While there are known genetic predispositions to the disease it is probable that environmental factors are also involved. Recent research has demonstrated a regionally specific distribution of aluminium in breast tissue mastectomies while other work has suggested mechanisms whereby breast tissue aluminium might contribute towards the aetiology o...

Aluminium that has accumulated in the body is thought to have a generalised cytotoxic effect. A prospective study of aluminium accumulation in bone-that is, subclinical aluminium toxicity--was carried out in 94 recipients of kidney allografts, who were followed up for three years. Subclinical aluminium toxicity was found in 66 patients. A significantly smaller proportion of patients with alumin...