[TheForge] Food grade metal

[Ron Childers]

Is there any harm in copper bracelets? A girl in the FSU Flying High Circus swears by them for her wrists and said she has no more pain since she started using them. They are easy to make and people like them.

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of jguy1 at ix.netcom.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 8:15 AM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Food grade metal


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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