Aluminum-Zirconium

Aluminum

Abstract Aluminum is everywhere. It is an essential chemical, and is the second most used metal in the world. Aluminum is harmless by itself, but once mixed with another chemical it can cause harm to the human body. Aluminum is very dangerous when exposed to the exposed human body such as the eyes and when ingested. Aluminum is a metal found naturally in the environment and is usually mixed with other chemicals such as oxygen, sulfate, etc. Aluminum is widely used in the American society because it's a light weight and flexible metal. Therefore, companies that manufacture/process aluminum would pay the money to stop it from being banned for fear of losing even more money. The chemical should still be in use, but it should be used more carefully. It should not be put in microwaves, or used out of its label. Background Aluminum is used for a lot of every day things. It is found in fabric dyes(as aluminum sulfate), shampoos, douches, and cosmetics. It can enter the body through showers because it creates water vapor that's inhaled and absorbed through the skin. A lot of showers use water from water treatment plants where the water was treated with aluminum sulfate. It can enter the mouth through toothpaste (especially whitening varieties), sodas and soft drinks, processed cheese, and much more. Aluminum Zirconium is widely used as an antiperspirant. It is mainly found in deodorants. It is effective in that it blocks the pores, preventing most of the sweat you produce from coming out. Aluminum is the second most used metal in the world, after steel. Aluminum is mostly wanted by designers, architects and engineers, who are looking for a material which combines functionality and cost-effectiveness. Aluminum has a range of forms from castings, extrusions and tubes, sheet & plate, foil, powder, forgings ect.Aluminum is an essential metal. Because of its many uses, most countries who can afford it can use it as aluminum foil, airplanes, aluminum cans. However when you mix aluminum with different chemicals such as hydroxide it can cause effects like irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract. Chemistry Aluminum is one of the most widely used metals and one of the most frequently found compounds in the earth's crust. It can be found in the soil, and for that reason, it accumulates in plants and can harm the animals that eat it. But the highest concentration of aluminum is in acidic lakes. In those lakes, water life is declining because of the way it reacted with proteins in the gills of fish and the frog's embryo. Not only does it affect fish, but it also affects the birds that eat the contaminated fish and insects. It can be found in the groundwater of acidified soil which harms the roots of trees when they are located in groundwater.

Health Aluminum has been detected in the brain cells of Alzheimer’s Disease patients. When aluminum compounds are inhaled (talcum powder, baby powder, cat-box liter, cement) they find their way into the brain and lead to Alzheimer's disease. It can be taken in by humans through food, breathing, and skin contact. Too many uptakes over time can lead to damage to the central nervous system, dementia, loss of memory, listlessness, and severe trembling. It can cause kidney problems for patients when it enters during kidney dialyses. Over time, too much inhalation of aluminum in a powdered form is a cause of pulmonary fibrosis and lung damage. Therefore, aluminum can be very dangerous to the human nervous and respiratory systems. Aluminum oxide is very dangerous to the human body if exposed to the eyes or ingested. If exposed to eyes, medical attention should be acquired. From the warnings, you can infer that symptoms appear in a short amount of time. Environmental The United States is the world's largest exporter with Canada following right after. Aluminum is found in the majority of everyday things that an average American uses. If aluminum was banned, it would become very difficult to use products without quickly finding a substitute. Since it is used in everyday products(cosmetics, toothpaste, other household items such as aluminum foil, pots and pans), the companies that make those products wouldn't want this chemical to be banned, so even though it's very dangerous to humans, they would pay off any amount of money they can to stop aluminum from being banned. An alternative to using aluminum is using tin. The process for extracting tin is very simple and be easily done. It reacts in the nervous and respiratory system for the body. It cannot be biodegraded, but it can be chemically degraded, if put in acid. Also it can be changed into another chemical, if it is put into fire. It takes aluminum 200-500 years to degrade.

Summary Aluminum can be used for a lot of things and is very flexible. It's light and since it is everywhere, it's cheap. But it has health issues once it enters the body. And letting it enter is inescapable because it is everywhere. Studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's have traces of aluminum inside their brain. Although it can cause a lot of harm to humans, small actions can easily make it more avoidable to intake as much aluminum as usual. Avoiding specific products, and not inhaling too much of the chemical, can help in continuing a healthy life. It should not be banned, but people should know not to take too long in the showers(to avoid inhaling aluminum), not to buy specific deodorants/antiperspirants, and not to use specific toothpaste/food products.

Citations:Deadly cosmetics. (2006, March 9). Retrieved from http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/news_detail.php?section=12&newsid=745 Staff, P. (2009, May 7). Aluminum and alzheimer's disease. Retrieved from http://www.viewzone.com/alzheimers.html Dangers of Aluminum (Zirconium). (2009, March 21). Retrieved from http://mammarazzilife.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-is-some-information-i-gathered.html The Danger of Shampoo. (2007, April 22). Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/210492/the_dangers_of_shampoo.html?cat=5

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