Aluminum Toxic?

[grimakis]

Some Parker 51's had aluminum internal parts, and the result was disastrous.

Really?

I am aware of the disastrous aluminum parts in the "51", silver yes, aluminum no.

 

 

I don't recall the "51" having many, if any flaws at all.... none of which were "disastrous". I think the biggest mistake was switching from the all aluminium speedline fillers, to the plastic fillers.

[spotted and speckled]

Only if you are planning on eating vast quantities of it...

[dogpoet]

I think (though I'm not sure) the alzheimers thing was debunked.

I'd imagine most Chinese pens have metal sections for economic reasons (it's a lot easier to machine brass parts in mousemilk runs than it would be to vacuum form plastic: you'd probably lose money doing the latter), though I'm not sure what everybody else's excuse is. Perhaps a metal section is favoured in some piston fillers because it won't be discoloured by ink?

[RLTodd]

If it is heavy soda and beer drinkers are in a world of hurt......................

[Johnny Appleseed]

I think (though I'm not sure) the alzheimers thing was debunked.

 

The association between alzheimers and aluminum remains contested. Results vary with some studies in recent years finding a link, others not.

see - "The role of metals in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease" Shcherbatykh I, Carpenter DO. J Alzheimers Dis. 2007 May;11(2):191-205.

"Relation between aluminum concentrations in drinking water and Alzheimer's disease: an 8-year follow-up study", Virginie Rondeau et. al., American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 152, No. 1 : 59-66, 2000

"A review of epidemiologic studies on aluminum and silica in relation to Alzheimer's disease and associated disorders.", Rondeau V., Rev Environ Health. 2002 Apr-Jun;17(2):107-21.

"Aluminum concentrations in drinking water and risk of Alzheimer's disease.", Martyn CN, et al., Epidemiology. 1997 May;8(3):281-6.

 

 

[Silvermink]

*stealthily sets aside well-munched AL-star*

 

*no, not really*

[Possum Hill]

If it is heavy soda and beer drinkers are in a world of hurt......................

Guess I'll have to switch to light beer.

[Tsujigiri]

Some Parker 51's had aluminum internal parts, and the result was disastrous.

Really?

I am not aware of the disastrous aluminum parts in the "51", silver yes, aluminum no.

 

EDITED to add the "NOT" above.

Sorry, I typed too fast and didn't proof read.

 

I can't find very much info on it, but it's mentioned here: http://www.noodlersink.com/noodlersAluminum.html

Or is that the silver alloy you were referring to? In any case, it seems that very few 51's were effected, but it illustrates the problem with using bad materials.

[grimakis]

Some Parker 51's had aluminum internal parts, and the result was disastrous.

Really?

I am not aware of the disastrous aluminum parts in the "51", silver yes, aluminum no.

 

EDITED to add the "NOT" above.

Sorry, I typed too fast and didn't proof read.

 

I can't find very much info on it, but it's mentioned here: http://www.noodlersink.com/noodlersAluminum.html

Or is that the silver alloy you were referring to? In any case, it seems that very few 51's were effected, but it illustrates the problem with using bad materials.

 

Well in a "51", there are no aluminium parts that regularly come in contact with ink anyway. The diaphragm creates a seal around the filling unit, something Parker made clear in their advertising. This keeps all of the ink out of the plunger and

 

spring. Keep in mind, I am referring to the vacumatic mechanism. In the aerometric, I understand that a silver alloy was used for the(some, not all?) breather tubes. Evidently the tubes corrode, cease to function and become difficult to remove.

 

~George

[Glenn-SC]

Or is that the silver alloy you were referring to? In any case, it seems that very few 51's were effected, but it illustrates the problem with using bad materials.

I was referring to the silver breather tubes that corrode on the Aero "51"s.

The "aluminum '51's" he seems to be referring to were something "strange" or "unusual" from South America.

I know of no aluminum US, Canadian, or British "51"s.

 

Using the term "using bad materials" is equivalent to saying "avoid bad people".

As a principle that is very true, but it doesn't help identify what is and what is not "bad".

 

I would also venture that the "aluminum" in foil is not the same alloy or physical form (i.e. heat treatment) as that used in making fountain pen parts.

So while a compatability test between aluminum foil and ink may be interesting, I don't know if it would tell us anything positively or negatively about the reaction rates of the inks in pens.

[Tsujigiri]

I'm assuming that the aluminum in these mysterious defect pens was in regular contact with the ink. Correction: not so much bad materials, but materials that are badly suited for a particular purpose. I'm pretty sure that the aluminum in aluminum foil is just aluminum. No mention of other metals here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_foil#Manufacture

[penicillin]

Hello,

 

I have heard that Aluminum is a toxic metal. Does anyone here know if Aluminum made pen is safe to be used?

 

Best Regards

 

Apparently, most Americans consume 7-9 mg of aluminum in their diets every day. 1 tsp of Maalox contains 200 mg of aluminum, and some aluminum may be absorbed through the skin from antiperpirants. We absorb about 0.1 to 1% of an oral dose from the gut, and most of it is eliminated by the kidneys. Some does accumulate in lung and bone. So, aluminum toxicity may be a problem patients with kidney failure. Indeed, in those patients, the central nervous system is a main target of toxicity, and many symptoms can occur. Probably not related to Alzheimers. Deferoxamine, a chelating agent, can be used to treat aluminum poisoning in people with serum aluminum levels >100ug/L.

 

FP use is safe. Patients with renal failure should not eat aluminum (or any other) fountain pens. Errr, probably not a good idea for people with normal kidneys either.

 

Regards,

M

[mikerph]

Hello,

 

I have heard that Aluminum is a toxic metal. Does anyone here know if Aluminum made pen is safe to be used?

 

Best Regards

 

Apparently, most Americans consume 7-9 mg of aluminum in their diets every day. 1 tsp of Maalox contains 200 mg of aluminum, and some aluminum may be absorbed through the skin from antiperpirants. We absorb about 0.1 to 1% of an oral dose from the gut, and most of it is eliminated by the kidneys. Some does accumulate in lung and bone. So, aluminum toxicity may be a problem patients with kidney failure. Indeed, in those patients, the central nervous system is a main target of toxicity, and many symptoms can occur. Probably not related to Alzheimers. Deferoxamine, a chelating agent, can be used to treat aluminum poisoning in people with serum aluminum levels >100ug/L.

 

FP use is safe. Patients with renal failure should not eat aluminum (or any other) fountain pens. Errr, probably not a good idea for people with normal kidneys either.

 

Regards,

M

It has been postulated that long term exposure to Aluminum(either consumed or inhaled dust) can lead to an Altzheimers-type of dementia and early senility. I saw this several years ago in multiple medical journals. If this was ever confirmed or refuted, I can't remember--dementia I guess.

[alvarez57]

I think (though I'm not sure) the alzheimers thing was debunked.

I'd imagine most Chinese pens have metal sections for economic reasons (it's a lot easier to machine brass parts in mousemilk runs than it would be to vacuum form plastic: you'd probably lose money doing the latter), though I'm not sure what everybody else's excuse is. Perhaps a metal section is favoured in some piston fillers because it won't be discoloured by ink?

 

 

It is still debatable and we don't have solid proof of it. I will limit myself just to say that Alzheimer's is multifactorial, as well as many cancers.

Alzheimer's

 

[grimakis]

I'm assuming that the aluminum in these mysterious defect pens was in regular contact with the ink. Correction: not so much bad materials, but materials that are badly suited for a particular purpose. I'm pretty sure that the aluminum in aluminum foil is just aluminum. No mention of other metals here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_foil#Manufacture

 

I still can't think of any aluminium parts of a "51" that are in regular contact with ink. Actually, I know there are none. I have however heard

 

that for whatever reason, the occasional filler collar, which was made of aluminium(later plastic), can be become partially or completely fused

 

to the barrel. This makes removal difficult and/or impossible.

 

~George

[penicillin]

It has been postulated that long term exposure to Aluminum(either consumed or inhaled dust) can lead to an Altzheimers-type of dementia and early senility. I saw this several years ago in multiple medical journals. If this was ever confirmed or refuted, I can't remember--dementia I guess.

 

Hi, Mike:

 

Not really my field, but I would say that the question of the specific role of Al in AD remains unanswered. Aluminum is clearly neurotoxic in high doses, and there are data suggesting that it is found in the neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimers. There are some animal data, which I am not sufficiently expert to evaluate. The following may be useful:

 

Shcherbatykh I. Carpenter DO.

The role of metals in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. [Review] [139 refs]

Source Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 11(2):191-205, 2007 May.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia, affecting millions of men and women worldwide. It is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular amyloid-beta (A beta) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles inside neurons and dystrophic neurons. Several risk factors are associated with the early onset and progression of the disease. Although the initiating molecular events are not entirely known, in recent years it has become evident that environmental and/or nutritional factors may play a causal, disruptive, and/or protective role in the development of AD. While a direct causal role for aluminum or other transition metals (copper, zinc, iron) in AD has not yet been definitively demonstrated, epidemiological evidence suggests that elevated levels of these metals in the brain may be linked to the development or progression of AD. This review summarizes studies which implicate a role for several metals in contributing to or causing AD. [References: 139]

 

Or older, but you may be able to pull it up:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/jvelv4...6p/fulltext.pdf.

 

The toxicity of metals is well established. I seem to remember from medical school the story of hemosiderosis developing in members of an African tribe (Bantu??) who cooked in iron pots.

 

Further discussion is probably not germane to this network.

 

Regards,

M