Note from a Truck Driver
I am a truck driver, and have hauled just about everything over the past 13 years.
I read your site's article postulating that naturally occurring aluminum found in water might be the key to Alzheimer's disease. I'll go one better than that.
I once picked up a 44,000 pound load of aluminum dioxide powder in the aptly-named town of Bauxite, Arkansas. Noting that the destination for the load was not a processing plant or a mill, I enquired as to why this load was destined for the Colgate-Palmolive Company. The shipping agent said that the quality of bauxite (Aluminum dioxide) found in Arkansas was too low grade for manufacturing purposes, but was fine for toothpaste.
"Toothpaste?" I enquired. He then went on to explain that common white toothpaste is made largely from Aluminum Dioxide, which is a mildly abrasive, brilliantly white powder. They'll simply add a sudsing agent to make the bubbles, a flavoring agent to make it palatable, perhaps a food coloring agent, some water, and presto - toothpaste.
Go read the ingredients on your tube of toothpaste. It'll list one or two 'active ingredients'...notice the combined total amounts of 'active ingredients' is usually less than 1%. What about the other 99%?
* Were you aware that every day of your life, you are filling your mouth with a gob of nearly pure aluminum dioxide?
* Can you imagine the possible health effects?
* Do you see how this is the number one entry point for aluminum to enter the body?
* Can you guess why the inactive ingredients aren't listed?
* Imagine the outcry from all the millions of health conscious Americans who suddenly discovered that they are being poisoned!
*Yes, that's why they aren't listed.
So, if you and your vast readership are concerned about getting too much aluminum in their diets, you can all relax about naturally occurring aluminum in the water, or cooking with pots and pans. These are trivial sources of aluminum compared with the several pounds of aluminum directly swallowed or absorbed through the tissues while brushing our teeth.
On the bright side, we can all still have a beautiful smile in our old age, if only we can remember how to smile.
Courtesy of
BUSH FUCKER