THE EFFECTS, ON HUMANS, OF ALUMINUM FOUND IN BEER.
TUESDAY MARCH 26, 1996



SUSANNE ENGEL
SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS
LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN
49783


ABSTRACT

	Aluminum is the third most commonly occurring element
found in nature, it is umbiquitous in food and drink and can
be found in malt, hops, and water.  It has been the cause of
much debate in the last decade concerning its possible link
with Alzheimer's disease, and this has promoted a greater
awareness of the Aluminum content of food and drink.  The
four major sources of dietary Aluminum are 1. grains and
grain products (29% to 49%); 2. dairy products (17% to 36%);
3.desserts (9% to 26%); and 4. beverages(5% to 10%), beer
being included in the 5% to 10% of the diet.  Aluminum
intake from medical uses may be 100,000 times higher than
that from dietary sources, and even this has rarely caused
adverse effects and has never been correlated with
neurotoxicity or Alzheimer's Disease.

	The taste tests performed suggested that there is a
difference in taste between bottled and canned beer, however
this was accounted for by the dissolution of the water-based
lacquer that is used to coat the inside of the cans.  The
tests performed  determined the amount of Aluminum in beer
to be between O.2ppm and 2.Oppm, depending on the length of
exposure time.  This range has been assessed to pose no
serious health risks.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Anheuser - Busch Inc. Respondent Dennis C. Franz. Brewing
Technical Services.

International Food Information Council Foundation. 1993.
Alzheimer's and Aluminum: Canning the Myth.

The Stroh Brewery company. Respondent Morten C. Meilgaard,
DSc. Senior Technical Advisor.