All Your Green Blog

We had heard at some point that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's. We also knew that one of the biggest manufacturers of hiking canteens, Sigg, uses aluminum for it's light weight and durable line of products. Well, we don't like the idea of giving any of you Alzheimer's, so we decided early on to stick with stainless steel.

But were we right? Let's take a poll:

• No: USNews Health
  "Various studies have found that groups of people exposed to high levels of aluminum do not have an increased risk."
• Probably Not: www.agr.gc.ca
  "It has not been shown clearly that normal eating or drinking in a healthy individual will cause elevated aluminum levels in the blood."
• Probably Not: Answerbag.com
  "Studies performed on patients have not found a common factor in the development of Alzheimer’s Disease."
• Probably Not: Alzscot.org
  "The evidence linking aluminium in water supplies with Alzheimer's disease is inconclusive."
• No: Only-cookware.com
  "There is no evidence to support the theory that increased consumption of aluminum increases the risk of contracting Alzheimer's."
• No: The Diet Channel
  "There is no reason to fear a problem from the tiny amount of aluminum we get from our cookware and utensils."
• No: Knopps.com
  "These days, most of the top medical experts, from the Mayo Clinic to the Alzheimer's Association, say there really is no reason to panic."

Here's an example of why we can't conclude that aluminum causes Alzheimers. It's a matter of correlation versus causation. Imagine a mideval doctor explaining to you: "See? Bloodletting works! As soon as we were done, he got better!" You'd obviously try to point out that maybe, just maybe, the guy got better because you stopped the bleeding, and he recovered naturally. When it comes down to it, there isn't any evidence that supports the fear of aluminum, and to fear things that haven't been proved to be dangerous would make a very, very long list of phobias.

As it turns out, there are two reasons to question those tests done some 20 years ago that originally turned up the relationship between aluminum and Alzheimer's. First, the samples could have been easily contaminated, so the results were unreliable ("it is extremely difficult to prevent samples from becoming contaminated with aluminium from the environment" from Newscientist.com). Second, the effect that Alzheimer's has on bloodflow could result in Alzheimers causing the aluminum levels in the brain, and not vice versa.

Considering the number of reports and articles that tend to debunk the aluminum myth, and with the linings or treatments put into high quality aluminum water bottles, Allyourgreen.com is abandoning our uninformed and paranoid ban on aluminum products. Should scientific study yeild other results, we will obviously revisit the issue, but for now, it sounds like there's absolutely nothing dangerous about aluminum water bottles.

To us, it's encouraging to remove one bit of paranoia from our minds, and open up a new niche of products we can offer with a clean conscience. Aluminum would be great for specialty outdoors activities like hiking and climbing. We are also excited about how commonplace aluminum recycling is in neighborhoods. As we explore these options, we'd love to get your feedback, critique, and input on what we find.