We often grill fish, meat, or vegetables wrapped in aluminum foil. The aluminum component in this foil can seep into food during the cooking process, posing potential health risks.
A recent study shows that using aluminum foil for cooking, even when used to wrap food for storage, can be harmful to health.
Aluminum is not only found in foil; it is also widely used in the production of kitchen utensils such as pots, pans, ladles, and spoons. These tools can still pose health risks if used improperly.
The human body can effectively excrete small amounts of aluminum. This means that minimal exposure to this metal is not a significant health concern.
Aluminum from foil can seep into food, causing harm to the body when we use it. (Illustration: Cam Tu).
The World Health Organization (WHO) sets the safe daily consumption level at 40mg of aluminum per kilogram of body weight. For a person weighing 60kg, the acceptable intake is 2,400mg.
However, most people are exposed to and consume more than the WHO’s recommended safe daily limit.
Aluminum is found in corn, yellow cheese, salt, herbs, spices, and tea. It is commonly used in kitchen utensils and also in pharmaceutical agents such as antacids and antiperspirants. Aluminum sulfate, a derivative of aluminum, is used as a coagulant in drinking water filtration processes.
Scientists have demonstrated that excessive exposure to aluminum can pose a threat to human health, with high aluminum concentrations detected in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
The research team examined a community of elderly individuals with Alzheimer’s and concluded that this modern disease is increasingly prevalent due to changing living conditions associated with societal industrialization.
Notably, one contributing factor to this disease is the high aluminum levels in daily life.
Aluminum also poses other health risks, potentially harming patients with bone diseases or renal failure. It can also inhibit the growth rate of human brain cells.
Avoid using aluminum foil for cooking
Pots and cooking utensils tend to oxidize, forming an inert surface, a natural oxide layer that prevents aluminum from leaching into food during cooking.
However, the issue arises when we clean these utensils after cooking; the scrubbing can wear away this layer, allowing aluminum to seep into food.
This problem can be easily avoided. When you buy a new aluminum pan, boil water in it several times until the bottom changes to a darker color. This creates a natural oxidation process that prevents leaching, benefiting both your food and health.
But cooking food with aluminum foil is a different story. It is single-use, and we cannot create an inert surface before use.
Research by scientists shows that the migration of aluminum into food during the grilling of meat and vegetables in foil is higher than the permissible limit set by the World Health Organization.
“Aluminum is more likely to leach into food, especially when we grill vegetables and meat in aluminum foil. Anything acidic will trigger a particularly strong process, dissolving aluminum into food,” the research team explains.
This study demonstrates that aluminum foil should not be used for cooking. Instead, we should use glass or ceramic to store food in microwaves or ovens, or you can wrap cold foods in aluminum foil.
Note that we should not wrap food in aluminum foil for too long, as food has a shelf life and substances within it can be factors that cause aluminum to leach into food.
