Aluminium foil can be useful, but it’s best not to use it with certain products

Aluminium foil is used in many home and professional kitchens. Whether or not it is bad for you has been the subject of various studies, but one thing is certain: it often ends up in the waste immediately after use, making it far from sustainable. And are the substances it releases toxic to humans? A toxicologist explains.

According to toxicologist Jan Tytgat, aluminium foil provides a good protective layer and also protects food from sunlight or moisture. In principle, it reacts with almost no food products, meaning it remains intact as long as it does not tear and therefore does not release substances either. Except when it comes into contact with this:

Something acidic

Acidic ingredients and their moisture can cause the aluminium foil to corrode, allowing aluminium to leach into your food. This process is called migration. Have you ever wrapped half a lemon in aluminium foil and stored it? The juice from that lemon may contain aluminium, and if you then use it in the vinaigrette, or drizzle it over garlic prawns, you may ingest it that way.

Impossible to avoid

That does not necessarily have to be harmful, especially if you do not consume acidic products that have been in contact with aluminium foil every day. In fact, we constantly ingest small amounts of aluminium because it occurs as a metal in the Earth’s crust, and we grow vegetables and fruit in that soil, Tytgat says in Algemeen Dagblad.

According to the World Health Organization, you can ingest around 40 milligrams of aluminium per kilogram of body weight without major consequences for your health. That is how Tytgat puts it, and he also says that the body can process aluminium residue quite well and that it is not a carcinogenic metal like nickel or chromium.

Bad for the planet

Tytgat therefore says that using reusable alternatives is better for both the body and the environment. When aluminium foil simply ends up in regular waste after use and is then incinerated, fine particulate matter is released that is harmful to people and the environment.

So take extra care when using aluminium foil with acidic foods, and where possible try to use reusable containers or packaging to store leftovers.

Also read:

• Do you also get completely frustrated by aluminium foil that sticks and tears? This trick helps
• Aluminium foil: dull or shiny side up?
• Shocking: microplastics found in human blood for the first time

Source: AD, read the full article here