aluminum camping cookset (are they harmful)

[philipb]

I have been reading some horror stories about aluminium contaminating food.

should I bin all my aluminium cooking equipment?

 

[Adze]

Where were your 'horror stories' published? I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest it wasn't PubMed - amiright?

 

[Tengu]

No, unless you swallow them.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Yes, send them all to me so that I can dispose of them properly.

 

[ChrisWebb2020]

I've got aluminium cooking pots and stuff which I bought for catering and the like. I don't see how they could be sold if they were actually harmful.

 

[philipb]

I've got aluminium cooking pots and stuff which I bought for catering and the like. I don't see how they could be sold if they were actually harmful.

that was my initial assumption. but if enough people write negative comments it does make you ask is there some truth in them

 

[ChrisWebb2020]

that was my initial assumption. but if enough people write negative comments it does make you ask is there some truth in them

Point taken, had a look myself.

The consensus seems to be that as long as you don't cook acidic food in them they're 'ok-ish'. Otherwise it seems that aluminium cookware seems to be linked to alzheimer's among other things.

Though it looks like only cast iron is classed as 'safe', as even stainless and ceramics can leech unpleasant stuff according to various bits of research.

We're all doomed...

I'd hazard a guess that it's only really an issue if you're using it constantly. Occasional use is probably not an issue, but that's a combination of guess work and opinion.

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

 

[wicca]

I suppose if you take the scientific view and compare aluminium pots with the latest 'approved' cookware and the aluminium shows them that it is perhaps .000001% more harmful then they're correct, aluminium is indeed more harmful. But in order for that finding to be worth worrying about you would need to use the aluminium pots 24 hours a day for the next 100 years probably, and then yep, it would kill you..
So technically those advisors are in fact correct... But used a few times a month..

I've been using aluminium pots/mess tins for about 65 years civvy and service and I'm still here unaffected...wibble wibble

 

[Hammock_man]

there was a report published linking aluminium to Alzheimer's ........but I forget where i.......

Understand it has been debunked these days as there was no way to prove from where the traces of ali had come from. It is all around us in any case!

 

[forrestdweller]

harmful or not-- I find aluminium cookware disgusting. IMHO even the best meal tastes bad when coming out of an aluminium pot and I still have unpleasant memories of the awful messtins I was forced to use when dressed in camo and lugging an assault rifle (== acting as cannon fodder for what's not my country; not my decision I hasten to add!) many moons ago......

each to their own but I prefer stainless steel......

 

[Drain Bamaged]

All I can say then is thank God they don't put beer and other drinks in Aluminium cans, that would be really dangerous.

D.B.

 

[philipb]

All I can say then is thank God they don't put beer and other drinks in Aluminium cans, that would be really dangerous.

D.B.

but you don't heat a beer can above 60 degrees. apparently this is when the problem occurs

 

[ChrisWebb2020]

All I can say then is thank God they don't put beer and other drinks in Aluminium cans, that would be really dangerous.

D.B.

but you don't heat a beer can above 60 degrees. apparently this is when the problem occurs

I realise it's Budweiser, so not actually beer per say, but you get the idea.

 

[philipb]

I guess I need one of these instead of the cheap Tesco camping pot set I bought.

last year I just used a small pot from the kitchen but the thick bottom meant it took an age to heat up on my gas stove

 

[Janne]

No, you should not. Internet is full of rubbish like this. Science does not support the isea that Aluminium is in any way dangerous or bad for our health.

 

[Janne]

but you don't heat a beer can above 60 degrees. apparently this is when the problem occurs

Nothing happens to Aluminium at 60C. Or 160C.
Nothing happens untill you get close to the melting point. A little bit of oxidation, that is all!

 

[TarHeelBrit]

Trouble is when one so called "respected source" gets a bee in their bonnet about something then everyone else jumps on the bandwagon just to be with the in crowd. There was a 'report' from a guy in the US who said aluminium cook wear was as bad as seasoning your food with arsenic. Bear in mind this was from the same person who was a snake oil salesman selling bogus cure alls. He was investigated by the FDA and I believe the FBI looked into interstate fraud charges. I did a quick look trying to find the article before I wrote this. I'm off for another look. Ali pots and pans are safe to use as long as you avoid acidic foods like tomatoes and don't heat the cr*p out of them.


From the alz.org Alzheimer’s Association.

Myth 4: Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots and pans can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Reality: During the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum emerged as a possible suspect in Alzheimer’s. This suspicion led to concern about exposure to aluminum through everyday sources such as pots and pans, beverage cans, antacids and antiperspirants. Since then, studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer’s. Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminum pose any threat.

From the alzheimers.org.uk Alzheimer’s Society.

Aluminium - Very low levels of many metals are present in the brain. Aluminium is a toxic metal that is common in our everyday environment. Small amounts of it are found in water and food. Although initial studies linked aluminium toxicity with Alzheimer's disease, the link has not been proven despite continuing investigation. Importantly, there is no evidence to suggest that aluminium exposure increases your risk of dementia.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

I had someone tell me all about the dangers of Aluminium cookware about 5 years ago whilst I sat cooking on the camp fire, I said at the time I didn't really believe it and if by some chance there was some truth behind it then It wasn't as if I was using it several times a day 24/7 so I thought there was bigger dangers more worth my while worrying about......I was told I was an idiot and would be better simply not using it until it was PROVED safe.........the guy telling me this had a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. (not that I have anything against smokers I smoked myself at the time)

D.B.

 

[oldtimer]

I'm 74 and have cooked in aluminium for years: still have my marbles. My mother cooked in aluminium all her life and lived till 93. Only problem with aluminium is that it can melt on a campfire.

 

[Bishop]

With all the things that could go wrong when out & about on an adventure the risk of maybe having Alzheimer’s in old age is the least of my worries.