Even small amounts of aluminium can interfere with the metabolism of fluoride and phosphorus, the long term result being the loss of these minerals from the bones and soft/fragile bones (osteomalacia/osteoperosis)
Healthy kidneys can deal with several hundred milligrams of Al per day. Cooking with Al pots and pans introduces 2-3 mg a day into your body. You get more from raw vegetables. However antacids can give you up to 50mg per tablet.
So cooking isn't so much of an issue, but as mentioned earlier the pitting of old Al cookware is of more concern. (It would concern me anyway!)
Impaired kidney function is quicker to show results. See here. Note this is not just a forum with nothing but opinions flying or some text thrown together for a websites daily read.
There are many more cases of dialysis problems with Al.
As already mentioned aluminium salts are used in the 'purification' of water, if you believe this then its not an issue.
I would like to emphasis two points here though.
"We were able to calculate that aluminium from alum-treated drinking water would contribute less than 1 per cent to our body burden of aluminium over a lifetime. However the good news is that a related study on food shows that even what we get from food is well within the safe limits determined by the World Health Organisation," Dr Stauber says.
- As determined by the WHO. And they are doing a fine job aren't they...
Also:
Funded by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA)
Need more be said?
Make of that what you will, personally I don't take the governments 'health recommendations'.
It was only 20 years ago the FDA declared that there was no safe level of lead.
There is also some really nasty 'stainless' coming out of china. Have seen stainless balustrade wire rust within a fortnight.
I really like stainless cookware but wouldn't cop out on the cheap stuff.
304 grade might be ok for domestic sales, but its not industry food grade.
Have even used 316 (better, more $$$ than 304) for a car exhaust. Not going to eat off anything less.
As for plastic bottles, the I've not looked into it. Still reuse PETE 1 plastic bottles. They are light, cheap, tough and probably killing me.
Until then.
[/rant]