Summary
This follow-up study measured aluminum in 30 infant formula products, including 10 ready-to-drink milks and 20 powdered formulas. It is useful for Category 1 because it extends the earlier Burrell and Exley infant-formula aluminum survey and separates ready-to-drink, non-soy powder, and soy powder evidence.
Key numbers
- Aluminum concentrations across all non-soy milk products ranged from about 100 to 430 ug/L.
- Two soy-based milk products had reported aluminum concentrations of 656 and 756 ug/L.
- Estimated daily aluminum intake from non-soy formulas ranged from about 100 to 300 ug/day.
- Estimated daily aluminum intake from soy-based formulas could be as high as 700 ug/day.
Category 1 concentration rows
These rows summarize the source at product-format level. The paper reports named commercial products, but public Index pages use these values as source-scope occurrence evidence rather than brand rankings.
| Source table | Category 1 fit | N products | Basis | Al mean / range | Max / p100 in source scope | Row-fit note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table 1 ready-to-drink milks | Infant Formula, RTF Liquid (Non-Soy) | 10 | ready-to-drink liquid formula | product means 155 to 422 ug/L | 422 ug/L mean | Ready-to-drink products are not soy-based in the pasted source text; includes toddler/growing-up products. |
| Table 2 non-soy powders | Infant Formula, Powder (Non-Soy) | 18 | powder converted by manufacturer instructions | prepared estimates approximately 106 to 411 ug/L | 411 ug/L prepared estimate | Powder products are formula-format evidence but not p90; includes first, follow-on, specialty, and growing-up products. |
| Table 2 soy powders | Infant Formula, Powder (Soy-Based) | 2 | powder converted by manufacturer instructions | prepared estimates 656 to 756 ug/L | 756 ug/L prepared estimate | Direct soy-powder evidence, but N=2 and not a percentile distribution. |
| Tables 1-2 daily intake | Formula exposure context | 30 | manufacturer feeding volumes | non-soy approximately 64 to 350 ug Al/day; soy up to 725 ug Al/day | 725 ug Al/day | Exposure estimate, not product-concentration evidence. |
Ingredient, packaging, and process signals
The study identifies soy-based formulas as the highest-aluminum powder products in the 2013 survey and discusses aluminum-based packaging as a plausible contamination route for both ready-to-drink liquids and powders. It also notes that non-packaging contamination may come from formula ingredients and processing. These signals map to Soy, Infant Formula Ingredients, Milk and Dairy, and Aluminum-Based Packaging.
Methods (brief)
The study purchased 30 infant formulas off the shelf and measured aluminum in 10 ready-to-drink products and 20 powdered products. Samples were digested with nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide and analyzed by transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.
Limitations
This is a product survey with brand-specific values; public wiki use should remain category- and format-focused. It does not measure Pb, Cd, arsenic, mercury, hexavalent chromium, or tin. It does not report p10, p50, p90, or p95.
Implications
Certification: Useful for the aluminum evidence pool for formula categories, especially soy-based formula.
Courses: Useful example of repeat evidence over time and the need to separate format from brand.
App: Supports product-format and soy-ingredient risk signals for formula.
Microbiome: No direct microbiome endpoint.
Wiki pages updated on ingest
- Infant Formula, Powder (Non-Soy)
- Infant Formula, Powder (Soy-Based)
- Infant Formula, RTF Liquid (Non-Soy)
- Infant Formula Ingredients
- Milk and Dairy
- Soy
- Aluminum-Based Packaging
- Aluminum
Update history
The five most recent substantive edits to this page, classified major (evidence or structure moved), correction (a published value or statement was wrong and has been fixed), or minor (narrative rewritten without changing the underlying evidence). Each description is derived from what the edit did to this page; the linked commit is the authoritative record, routine regeneration passes are excluded, and the full version history lives in git. When DOI minting comes online (see schema docs), each entry below will also link to a version-pinned DataCite DOI.
| Commit | Date | Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| a8052bb | 2026-08-09 | major | 9 sections added; narrative text revised |