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. 2017 Sep 29;114(39):653–659. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2017.0653

Table 1. Current classifications and assessments of aluminum.

Institution Values/classifications Recommendation/rationale
German Federal Environmental Agency
(Umweltbundesamt)
<15 µg/l urine, <5 µg/l serum Reference values for the general population (provisional) (6)
German Research Foundation
(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
50 µg/g creatinine (BAT value); not classified into a carcinogenity category Biological tolerance value at the workplace (7), derived on the basis of neurotoxicity as the critical endpoint
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) TWI 1 mg aluminum/kg body weight Tolerable weekly intake (TWI) (5)
World Health Organization (WHO) PTWI 2 mg aluminum/kg body weight Provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) (e2)
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung) Since aluminum occurs ubiquitously, TWI can be reached through diet alone and is possibly exceeded due to the daily use of aluminum-containing antiperspirants (4)
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Exposure during aluminum production: carcinogenic to humans (bladder and lung cancer) Exposure as a whole during the production process, involving proven carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, is causal rather than aluminum’s material properties (e3)