Every other year, for more than two decades, a small group of 70 or so scientists have been meeting at different locales across the globe to discuss their speciality: aluminum and its effects on living things.
Aluminum is, without question, the “King of Metals.” It’s unparalleled combination of strength, lightness, and versatility allow it to be used in nearly limitless applications, from space shuttle construction to children’s candy coating. It is naturally abundant and easily recyclable. And yet, there is a fine line between a king and a tyrant. Aluminum has entrenched itself in human daily routine and shows no signs of relinquishing its hold on our global economy. As a result, the dangers of aluminum are often swept under the rug.
Keele 2017 will bring aluminium researchers together from over 16 countries to disseminate their research and to encourage new research in the field of aluminium and living things.
The use of aluminium in our everyday lives is burgeoning. The research presented at this meeting is essential to our ability to effectively and safely avoid possible detriments to human health as a result of Earth's most abundant metal.
Metals including toxic lead contaminate virtually all aluminum adjuvants, a widely-used ingredient of human and animal vaccines, according to a recent study published in the leading journal of the vaccine industry.
Aluminum is neurotoxic, but the average consumer might be forgiven for not knowing about the metal’s health dangers. This is because mainstream websites routinely dismiss questions about whether aluminum is a risk factor for neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), labeling aluminum’s possible role as either “controversial” or a “myth” without scientific merit. The not-for-profit Alzheimer’s Association, for example, asserts that “studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer’s.” The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), the federal public health agency responsible for “using the best science” to provide “trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances,” is slightly cagier, stating that “We do not know for certain that aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease” but also admitting that “it is possible that [aluminum] may play a role” in AD development.
