Aluminium whistles and your health...

[Geebawn]

Hi guys,

I've recently recollected that once somebody had told me that holding aluminium in mouth is bad for your teeth, is it true? What about sucking condensated vapor from a mouthpiece while playing? I've read somewhere that aluminium is toxic and can cause some illnesses in the long run.

What do you think?

[Peter Duggan]

I think it's also used for cookware, cutlery and all kinds of things and has never bothered me.

[The Lurking Fear]

Holding it in your teeth would be bad for your teeth.

Don't eat it.Or cook acidic foods in it. Doubt you'll be doing either one of those!

Wouldn't think breathing condensation or inhaling saliva off an aluminum mouthpiece,especially an anodized one, is going to be putting appreciable amounts,if any,of aluminum in your system.I've probably got more aluminum in my system from wrappings/seals on snacks,yogurt etc than anything else.

I do wilderness camping so I've read tons on the dangers,real, imagined, and possible of aluminum cookware.I'm not worried about aluminum mouthpieces. Or boiling water/cooking non-acidic foods in aluminum.

[Ted]

The study showing higher levels of aluminum in the brains of folks who died of Alzheimer's was done years ago. The doctor who did the study said that it does not prove a link between aluminum and the condition, only that folks with Alzheimer's for some reason deposit more aluminum in their tissues. Some antacids contain high levels of aluminum oxide and no link was shown there. The toxicity of aluminum has not been established.

[OBrien]

I think the Altzheimer's/ aluminum link has been largely discredited. One suggestion was that the brains being analyzed were kept on aluminum trays in one of the studies that showed a connection.

[ytliek]

Yes, I'd be wary of damage to teeth from poor whistle technique, biting, chewing, banging against, or possibly eating something that effects the aluminum during playing. I don't think the aluminum whistle causes an issue, not for me anyway. Everyone is different though.

[The Lurking Fear]

The study showing higher levels of aluminum in the brains of folks who died of Alzheimer's was done years ago. The doctor who did the study said that it does not prove a link between aluminum and the condition, only that folks with Alzheimer's for some reason deposit more aluminum in their tissues. Some antacids contain high levels of aluminum oxide and no link was shown there. The toxicity of aluminum has not been established.

Interestingly, in the NW U.S people with Alz didn't have aluminum deposits in their brain.Only place in world.

[tin tin]

Remember the guy who ate the Cessna airplane, Monsieur Mangetout?

It is estimated that between 1959 and 1997, Lotito "had eaten nearly nine tons of metal."

That's according to Wikipedia. So I wouldn't worry about an aluminum whistle.

[ahogrelius]

A recent study shows that it is much worse for the health of the banjo player in the band to get hit with an aluminum whistle than the wooden equivalent...

[BrianG]

I would think your antiperspirant is putting more aluminum in your body than a whistle ever would.

[rubenroks12]

If I recall correctly, the study that had linked aluminum to Alzheimer's was conducted amongst people who had worked with aluminum (milling, casting, etc.). Even then, the results were not definitive. Unless you were sanding your whistle down, making your own or melting them down for some reason, they probably won't do anything. Heck, even if you were involved in manufacturing whistles, aslong as you don't inhale filings you are probably safe.

Here in the Philippines, it is very common for people to cook rice in large aluminum cauldrons called "Kalderos". Most people eat rice for every meal of the day. It's not quite a quantifiable scientific observation but everyone seems to be walking around fine (my self included, not to mention the stacks of soda cans I go through). In the local context, studies have found aluminum to be safe for that purpose.

The reason being is that aluminum quickly forms a really tough coating of aluminum oxide which prevents it from leeching into liquids. As long as you don't cook highly acidic foods, the aluminum oxide keeps the aluminum where it should be.

I am not a chemist, and I am citing findings from a local study non-verbatim. Please correct me if I got anything wrong!

[Geebawn]

Thank you guys for your answers, now it's much clearer. Best wishes!

[Tor]

The reason being is that aluminum quickly forms a really tough coating of aluminum oxide which prevents it from leeching into liquids. As long as you don't cook highly acidic foods, the aluminum oxide keeps the aluminum where it should be.

That's my understanding as well. And this AFAIK happens within a second of being exposed to air, or at least very very quickly. So, don't bite the whistle, and avoid acids, and you should be fine.

[I.D.10-t]

I think it's also used for cookware, cutlery and all kinds of things and has never bothered me.

I bet you bake with that stuff too.

[trekkie]

With whistles I don't think the material matters as much as the way it's used by the maker. I am not sure some custom whistles of any material would pass a product safety test. Some alloy ones come coated with a fine dust inside which will make you cough if you don't scrub it out before playing, others have tuning slides that smell like motor oil which need to be wiped and replaced with something less toxic (same with brass from the same maker), there are bamboo ones reeking of smoke, tweaked ones that seem to have plastic bits that inhale with every note, and coated ones that smell like paint.