Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden
Background and purpose: Aluminum can be released into food by aluminum-containing food-contact materials (Al-FCM) during preparation or storage. There is considerable concern that extra aluminum intake may have negative effects on public health, especially with regard to its high background exposure...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Environment International |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023002738 |
| _version_ | 1797801833298657280 |
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| author | Julia Hiller Thomas Göen Nina Seibold-Wulf Sebastian Meyer Hans Drexler |
| author_facet | Julia Hiller Thomas Göen Nina Seibold-Wulf Sebastian Meyer Hans Drexler |
| author_sort | Julia Hiller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and purpose: Aluminum can be released into food by aluminum-containing food-contact materials (Al-FCM) during preparation or storage. There is considerable concern that extra aluminum intake may have negative effects on public health, especially with regard to its high background exposure and neurotoxic properties of aluminum in high exposures. Human in-vivo data on the additional aluminum load from Al-FCM, however, are lacking. As such, the objective of this study was to explore whether the consumption of a diet highly exposed to such products leads to an increased systemic Al load in real-world conditions. Materials and methods: An exploratory, single-arm intervention study with a partially standardized diet was designed and carried out with 11 participants. The same 10-day sequence of dishes was repeated three times. Participants were exposed to Al-FCM from Days 11 to 20, whereas control-phase meals were prepared without Al-FCM during the first and last 10–day periods. Spot urine samples were collected each morning and evening and analyzed for their aluminum concentration; appropriate contamination countermeasures were taken.Principal results: Urinary aluminum excretion showed a strong dependency on the creatinine concentration in urine and required adjustment in further analyses. The creatinine-adjusted aluminum excretion during the exposure phase (median 1.98 µg/g creatinine) was higher than in both control phases (1.78 µg/g creatinine each). Two different mixed-effects regression models showed a significant effect in the exposure phase. Considering a discrete time effect, the creatinine-adjusted mean increase in the exposure phase was estimated to be 0.19 µg/L (95% CI: 0.07–0.31; p = 0.0017).Major conclusions: This study demonstrated a measurable but fully reversible additional Al burden in humans from subacute Al-FCM exposure under real-world conditions. The estimated increase from Al-FCM corresponds to 8% of the baseline concentration. These data enable a more robust assessment of human health risks by Al-FCM. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:56:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42dbc849ca124978afc4cf2229f9baf8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T04:56:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj.art-42dbc849ca124978afc4cf2229f9baf82023-06-18T05:00:21ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202023-07-01177108000Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burdenJulia Hiller0Thomas Göen1Nina Seibold-Wulf2Sebastian Meyer3Hans Drexler4Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestr. 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; Corresponding author.Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestr. 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestr. 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Frauenplatz 4, 96049 Bamberg, GermanyFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Waldstr. 6, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestr. 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, GermanyBackground and purpose: Aluminum can be released into food by aluminum-containing food-contact materials (Al-FCM) during preparation or storage. There is considerable concern that extra aluminum intake may have negative effects on public health, especially with regard to its high background exposure and neurotoxic properties of aluminum in high exposures. Human in-vivo data on the additional aluminum load from Al-FCM, however, are lacking. As such, the objective of this study was to explore whether the consumption of a diet highly exposed to such products leads to an increased systemic Al load in real-world conditions. Materials and methods: An exploratory, single-arm intervention study with a partially standardized diet was designed and carried out with 11 participants. The same 10-day sequence of dishes was repeated three times. Participants were exposed to Al-FCM from Days 11 to 20, whereas control-phase meals were prepared without Al-FCM during the first and last 10–day periods. Spot urine samples were collected each morning and evening and analyzed for their aluminum concentration; appropriate contamination countermeasures were taken.Principal results: Urinary aluminum excretion showed a strong dependency on the creatinine concentration in urine and required adjustment in further analyses. The creatinine-adjusted aluminum excretion during the exposure phase (median 1.98 µg/g creatinine) was higher than in both control phases (1.78 µg/g creatinine each). Two different mixed-effects regression models showed a significant effect in the exposure phase. Considering a discrete time effect, the creatinine-adjusted mean increase in the exposure phase was estimated to be 0.19 µg/L (95% CI: 0.07–0.31; p = 0.0017).Major conclusions: This study demonstrated a measurable but fully reversible additional Al burden in humans from subacute Al-FCM exposure under real-world conditions. The estimated increase from Al-FCM corresponds to 8% of the baseline concentration. These data enable a more robust assessment of human health risks by Al-FCM.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023002738AluminumFood-contact materialDietExposure assessment |
| spellingShingle | Julia Hiller Thomas Göen Nina Seibold-Wulf Sebastian Meyer Hans Drexler Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden Environment International Aluminum Food-contact material Diet Exposure assessment |
| title | Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| title_full | Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| title_fullStr | Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| title_short | Effect of an aluminum foil-processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| title_sort | effect of an aluminum foil processed diet on internal human aluminum burden |
| topic | Aluminum Food-contact material Diet Exposure assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412023002738 |
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