[TheForge] Food grade metal

[jguy1 at ix.netcom.com]

I have a friend who almost died from aluminum poisoning.    He had some very expensive aluminum cook ware and used a strong cleanser inappropriate for aluminum pans.   It took the doctors quite a while to figure out what was going on and what the source was.   From what I googled, this is a rare situation and it takes high levels of aluminum to cause problems.


Jim Guy

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Bruce ." <freemab222 at gmail.com>
>Sent: Sep 10, 2013 12:18 AM
>To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] Food grade metal
>
>Some clarifications upon what James is telling us:
>
>Pure metallic copper will not be dissolved by most common foods.  (Citric
>acid may have a chance of doing so.)  But copper will easily air-oxidize
>(tarnish), especially when wet, and the resultant copper salts WILL
>dissolve even in dilute acid.  That's why a copper bowl should be cleaned
>with vinegar and salt before use with anything but pure water.  Copper is a
>poison, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  Trace copper might be necessary in
>the diet -- but "trace" means VERY VERY LITTLE.
>
>Aluminum always has a protective oxide layer, but that layer can be broken
>down fairly easily by alkali (lye, washing soda, etc.), and somewhat less
>easily by acid.  I've seen an aluminum pan perforated by tomato sauce --
>but only after it was stored a while in the pan (in the fridge).  I know of
>no reliable information implicating aluminum as toxic.
>
>Iron, of course, rusts easily and shouldn't be used to store foods.  Cast
>iron is fine for cooking, however, because it is seasoned first.  Be aware
>that excess iron in the diet IS toxic, but human tolerance is pretty high.
>
>
>On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 6:03 PM, James Binnion <jbin at well.com> wrote:
>
>> 304 or 18-8 stainless are considered food safe because nothing you are
>> going to eat can typically dissolve the chrome oxide surface passivation
>> layer. Copper, aluminum, steel or iron all can be dissolved by acids in
>> foods like tomatoes or citrus. The truly paranoid don't want to ingest
>> those metal compounds. So for storage appropriate grades of stainless are
>> the only common alloy that is not going to be easily dissolved by some
>> foods. Of course gold and platinum would be food safe as would titanium.
>>
>> James Binnion
>> jbin at well.com
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
>-- 
>Bruce
>NJ
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