Folklore versus Reality
Time and again one discovers assertions being made about aluminium that are fundamentally wrong and are completely unfounded scientifically. We have listed some of these preconceptions below together with the corresponding facts.
Assertion
Aluminium is a risk to health.
Fact
According to the latest investigations by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), there is no relationship between aluminium intake from articles that come into contact with foodstuffs and Alzheimer’s. Likewise, there is no evidence of any other health risks. The assertion is thus an assumption without any scientific basis whatsoever. It is not for nothing that some medication contains aluminium hydroxide. It is unquestionable that a very small fraction of the population is allergic to aluminium.
However, it should be noted that the number of people allergic to other natural substances, like milk, is often greater and this does not allow the conclusion to be drawn that the substance is a health risk. No such assertion is made about milk, for example, and this emphasises the irrelevance of such a statement.
Assertion
Basically, aluminium requires too much energy to produce and can thus be rejected completely.
Fact
The remelting of aluminium only requires five per cent of the energy used to produce the primary metal. This means that every time the material is reused, its life-cycle assessment improves. In addition, one has to take into account that considerable energy is saved during use as a result of aluminium’s properties. For example, the use of aluminium in vehicle manufacturing makes cars lighter and thus more fuel economical. Or when foodstuffs are transported in aluminium packaging, the optimal space utilisation with lighter weight saves fuel, kilometre after kilometre.
In addition, the fraction of energy obtained from hydropower used for primary aluminium production is continually increasing and is already over 60 per cent today. In addition, optimisation of production processes has enabled the energy required to produce a kilogram of aluminium to be reduced from over 21 kilowatt-hours originally to 13 kilowatt-hours, and it will continually be improved.
Assertion
Rainforests are being cleared because of aluminium.
Fact
Recultivation
Less than a fifth of the bauxite mining areas worldwide – some 18 per cent – are located in rainforest areas. This is equivalent to an area of 2.4 square kilometres a year. It represents 0.00001% of the total area of the rainforests. Overall some 80 per cent of the bauxite mining areas is rehabilitated systematically and a further 18 per cent is used for silviculture and agriculture. Assuming they are cultivated appropriately, even these areas contribute to the natural ecosystem because the destruction of rainforests can be attributed almost exclusively to shifting cultivation.
Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie will gladly provide you with further information.
