Report of the Scientific Committee of the AESAN in relation to the possible risk of dietary aluminium

In 2006, the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) took into account the effects induced by some aluminium compounds on reproduction and the development of the nervous system, and so reduced the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of Al from 7 mg Al/kg bw/week to 1 mg Al/kg bw/week. This reduction was subsequently accepted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2008a, 2008b), which issued a scientific opinion on the safety of consuming aluminium in the diet, in which it was estimated that a major part of the population of Europe could be exceeding the safe threshold established. Dietary exposure in adults not exposed to Al through their occupations reveals great variabilityfrom one country to another, and even within the same country. Thus, EFSA has reported that adults’ exposure through consumption of food and water ranges between 0.2-1.5 mg Al/kg bw/week for a mean weight of 60 kg and it is estimated that, among children and teenagers, dietary exposure at the 97.5 percentile is 0.7-2.3 mg Al/kg bw/week in some countries (United Kingdom and France). The available studies do not allow the identification of the specific dietary sources of Al, nor any differentiation between the multiple origins of Al including intrinsic Al, aluminium from food additives and the Al resulting from food preparation and storage processes. The aluminium content in foodstuffs analyzed in different European countries displays relatively elevated variability, even among the members of a single group. The AESAN Scientific Committee considers the new intake safety threshold set by EFSA to be adequate at 1 mg Al/kg bw/week. Continues...ES; es; pfefsa@msssi.e