1236
People with population.
Alzheimer’s
disease, therefore, constitute
a
mobile
In your editorial you cite several studies that have been widely reported and taken up by the consumer movement. The methods used in those studies have been much (and correctly) criticised. The public continues to have their fears about aluminium, especially in the public water supply, reinforced without sufficient epidemiological evidence. Before expensive and costly public health measures are contemplated the facts should be ascertained. Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, The Kennedy Tower, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK; and University of Aberdeen
LAWRENCE J. WHALLEY G. MCGONIGAL BRENDA THOMAS
1.
McGonigal G, McQuade C, Thomas B, Whalley LJ. Survival in presenile Alzheimer’s and multi-infarct dementias. Neuroepidemology (in press). 2. McGonigal G, McQuade C, Thomas B. Accuracy and completeness of Scottish mental hospital in-patient data. Health Bull (in press). 3. Martyn CN, Osmond C, Edwardson JA, Barker DJP, Harris EC, Lacey RF. Geographical relation between Alzheimer’s disease and aluminium in drinking water. Lancet 1989; i: 59-62. 4. Pearce F. Acid rain may cause senile dementia. New Scientist 1985; 16: 7.
SIR,-chronic aluminium exposure has been reported to result
neurotoxicity.1-3 Aluminium has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and an increase has been suggested in the prevalence of this disease in areas that have high in
aluminium concentration in the drinking water.5 There was, however, no dose response between the aluminium concentration of tap water and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.** This finding might be attributable to the facts that not all aluminium in tap water is available for absorption from the gastrointestinal tract because of speciation with silicates6 and metal complexing organic compounds,’ or that the amount of aluminium in tap water only accounts for a proportion of the daily dietary intake.6 There has been public concern over the amount of aluminium contamination of drinking water and there are current World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Community (EC) limits for the amount of permissible aluminium contamination in drinking water and that used during treatment for haemodialysis.8 Indeed, your March 21 editorial notes that some investigators have suggested that the present EC limit of 200 µg/1 should be reduced to 10 µg/1 (27 ug/1 =mol/1). However, with the concern over the quality of drinking water there has been an increasing trend in the sales of mineral and other bottled waters, and so-called fresh or reconstituted fruit juices, since these are perceived to be healthier alternatives to tap water. Fruit juices, unlike mineral and bottled waters,8 are regarded as foodstuffs by the EC and therefore have no EC directives with respect to permissible amounts of contamination. We investigated the aluminium content of various commercially available brands of fresh and reconstituted pure orange juice since intestinal absorption of aluminium is increased when it is complexed with citrateand therefore more of any aluminium present would be available for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract than from drinking water. We measured aluminium contamination in several commercially available brands of pure orange juice. 8 were described as fresh and 9 as reconstituted pure juice. Duplicate samples of each were carefully poured, to avoid extraneous contamination, into tubes that had been washed with 1 % nitric acid and had an aluminium content below the detection limit of our assay (
People with population.
Alzheimer’s
disease, therefore, constitute
a
mobile
In your editorial you cite several studies that have been widely reported and taken up by the consumer movement. The methods used in those studies have been much (and correctly) criticised. The public continues to have their fears about aluminium, especially in the public water supply, reinforced without sufficient epidemiological evidence. Before expensive and costly public health measures are contemplated the facts should be ascertained. Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, The Kennedy Tower, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK; and University of Aberdeen
LAWRENCE J. WHALLEY G. MCGONIGAL BRENDA THOMAS
1.
McGonigal G, McQuade C, Thomas B, Whalley LJ. Survival in presenile Alzheimer’s and multi-infarct dementias. Neuroepidemology (in press). 2. McGonigal G, McQuade C, Thomas B. Accuracy and completeness of Scottish mental hospital in-patient data. Health Bull (in press). 3. Martyn CN, Osmond C, Edwardson JA, Barker DJP, Harris EC, Lacey RF. Geographical relation between Alzheimer’s disease and aluminium in drinking water. Lancet 1989; i: 59-62. 4. Pearce F. Acid rain may cause senile dementia. New Scientist 1985; 16: 7.
SIR,-chronic aluminium exposure has been reported to result
neurotoxicity.1-3 Aluminium has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and an increase has been suggested in the prevalence of this disease in areas that have high in
aluminium concentration in the drinking water.5 There was, however, no dose response between the aluminium concentration of tap water and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.** This finding might be attributable to the facts that not all aluminium in tap water is available for absorption from the gastrointestinal tract because of speciation with silicates6 and metal complexing organic compounds,’ or that the amount of aluminium in tap water only accounts for a proportion of the daily dietary intake.6 There has been public concern over the amount of aluminium contamination of drinking water and there are current World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Community (EC) limits for the amount of permissible aluminium contamination in drinking water and that used during treatment for haemodialysis.8 Indeed, your March 21 editorial notes that some investigators have suggested that the present EC limit of 200 µg/1 should be reduced to 10 µg/1 (27 ug/1 =mol/1). However, with the concern over the quality of drinking water there has been an increasing trend in the sales of mineral and other bottled waters, and so-called fresh or reconstituted fruit juices, since these are perceived to be healthier alternatives to tap water. Fruit juices, unlike mineral and bottled waters,8 are regarded as foodstuffs by the EC and therefore have no EC directives with respect to permissible amounts of contamination. We investigated the aluminium content of various commercially available brands of fresh and reconstituted pure orange juice since intestinal absorption of aluminium is increased when it is complexed with citrateand therefore more of any aluminium present would be available for absorption in the gastrointestinal tract than from drinking water. We measured aluminium contamination in several commercially available brands of pure orange juice. 8 were described as fresh and 9 as reconstituted pure juice. Duplicate samples of each were carefully poured, to avoid extraneous contamination, into tubes that had been washed with 1 % nitric acid and had an aluminium content below the detection limit of our assay (
