title: Aluminum: new recognition of an old problem.
abstract: The aluminum problem is now over 25 years old, but has remained a neglected concern. Data indicate that aluminum contaminates much of the raw material used to manufacture solutions used for intravenous nutritional support of hospitalized and ambulatory patients, and that pharmaceutical manufacturers have only recently obtained the technology necessary to detect aluminum contamination of their products. As a result, aluminum bypassed normal barriers and entered the blood, accumulating in tissues such as bone, liver and the central nervous system with toxic consequences. Now that the FDA has finally issued a rule governing aluminum contamination in these solutions, manufacturers will need to develop methods to minimize such contamination; scientists should also realize that when data they obtain indicate a serious problem in the manufacturing sector they should be sure that the problem is properly addressed.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Room 3.270, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston TX 77555-0352, USA. gklein@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Gordon L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D004340:Drug Contamination; D006801:Humans; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum