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ATSDR — Minimal Risk Levels for Aluminum

Oral aluminum exposure reference values from ATSDR cover intermediate and chronic durations. Explore the evidence on their neurotoxicity basis, bioavailability and comparison with dietary guidance.

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Overview

The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry derived oral Minimal Risk Levels for aluminum in its September 2008 Toxicological Profile, anchored on neurotoxic effects in lifetime-exposed mice (Golub et al. 2000) (ATSDR 2008). The chronic-duration oral MRL is 1 mg aluminum (Al)/kg/day, the same value as the intermediate-duration oral MRL (ATSDR 2008). An acute-duration oral MRL was not derived because the available data were considered inadequate (ATSDR 2008).

Minimal Risk Levels

RouteDurationMRL
OralAcute (≤14 days)Not derived (inadequate data)
OralIntermediate (15-364 days)1 mg Al/kg/day
OralChronic (≥1 year)1 mg Al/kg/day

For a 70-kilogram adult, the chronic oral MRL corresponds to 70 mg Al/day (ATSDR 2008).

Critical endpoint and derivation

ParameterValue
Critical studyGolub et al. 2000
Critical effectDecreased forelimb and hindlimb grip strength, decreased thermal sensitivity in lifetime-exposed mice
LOAEL100 mg Al/kg/day
Composite uncertainty factor100 (10 for animal-to-human extrapolation × 10 for human variability)
Chronic oral MRL100 ÷ 100 = 1 mg Al/kg/day

Relationship to EFSA TWI

The ATSDR chronic oral MRL of 1 mg Al/kg/day is approximately 7-fold higher than the EFSA AFC TWI daily-equivalent of approximately 0.14 mg Al/kg/day (1 mg/kg/week ÷ 7). The discrepancy is methodological: ATSDR’s derivation uses the LOAEL-with-uncertainty-factor pathway from a single critical study (Golub et al. 2000); the EFSA AFC Panel 2008 integrates evidence across multiple animal endpoints with a different safety-factor structure. HMT&C calibration to the EFSA TWI is the more conservative posture; calibration to the ATSDR MRL is the more permissive.

Aluminum bioavailability context

The 2008 profile (ATSDR 2008) records aluminum gastrointestinal bioavailability ranges that constrain dose-translation:

SourceBioavailability
Drinking water0.07 to 0.39 percent
Diet (typical aluminum compounds)0.1 percent
Aluminum lactate (specific compound)Higher than typical dietary forms; suggests compound-specific variation

Typical adult dietary aluminum intake of 5 to 15 mg/day is well below the chronic oral MRL of 70 mg/day for a 70 kg adult (ATSDR 2008). Aluminum-containing antacid use (typical user: 100 to 1000 mg/day delivered) substantially exceeds the MRL on a body-weight-normalized basis (ATSDR 2008).

Sources

  • ATSDR 2008 — ATSDR, September 2008. Toxicological Profile for Aluminum.

References

Works cited in this page’s text, in first-appearance order. See Sources for this page’s source inventory. Each title links to a source record with bibliographic details, reported findings, and document provenance.

  1. Toxicological Profile for AluminumAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry · 2008 · www.atsdr.cdc.govGovernment
  2. Safety of Aluminium from Dietary IntakeEFSA Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Food Contact Materials (AFC) · The EFSA Journal 2008;754:1-34 · 2008 · doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2008.754Government

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