Big and dirty aluminum water tank!

[flyingfin]

Simple water chemistry: Add acid to put everything back into solution, then run offshore, slosh around, purge, repeat, purge, repeat. Then add bleach to kill the bacteria, then add soda ash to neutralize. or just break out the wallet and buy a plastic tank!!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by south4320

... I don’t know how to post links but if you look up
“Is there a link between aluminium and Alzheimers” you should find an article dated March 12 2018 by Yuko Haru Phd, Director of Ageing and Alzheimer’s Prevention at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. According to that article some studies find a link other studies find no link and at present it seems we don’t have a definite answer.

It appears that Dr. Hara is employing the “precautionary principle”; which is difficult to argue.
BTW: His footnotes list an extensive array of scientific studies on the subject.
“Is There a Link Between Aluminum and Alzheimer’s?” ~ Yuko Hara, PhD (March 12, 2018)
“... There is no consistent or compelling evidence to associate aluminum with Alzheimer's disease. Although a few studies have found associations between aluminum levels and Alzheimer's risk, many others found no such associations. Due to the inconclusive nature of the findings, it may be advisable to limit excessive exposure.”
➥ https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cogniti...and-alzheimers

Suspicion regarding a link between aluminum and AD first emerged in 1965, when scientists used an aluminum-containing chemical in their research. Injection of this chemical, aluminum phosphate, seemed to trigger cognitive changes and also neurofibrillary tangle formation in animal studies. These tangles were determined to be similar but not identical to the tangles found in brains of people with AD.
In 1973, brain tissue collected from deceased persons, known to have AD, were found to have high aluminum levels. Although this evidence was circumstantial, it led researchers to ask whether aluminum exposure might cause, or even increase the progression, of AD changes in the brain.
When large scale studies attempted to link aluminum exposure with AD, results were mixed. Animal studies have not supported the link between aluminum exposure and typical AD pathology, and that inconsistent results were reported in studies of works with high occupational aluminum exposure, finding both positive and negative results.
One of the most convincing of these studies, a careful investigation of miners from northern Ontario exposed to aluminum, given as a protection against silicotic lung disease (disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica over many years), then examined thoroughly for toxic effects, found no statistically significant neurological or cognitive differences between exposed and unexposed miners.
Despite the inconsistent findings that have led many researchers to abandon the aluminum hypothesis, a few researchers remain convinced that aluminum increases AD risk. It would be fair to say, however, that this does not represent current mainstream thinking about AD. If aluminum is a risk factor, it appears to be one of less importance than many others.

Nonetheless, "prudent caution over reckless abandon" can't hurt.
Does storing (or boiling/cooking) water in Aluminum rise to the level of "excessive exposure"?
It might be worth noting, that there are other good reasons to avoid aluminum water tanks.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by south4320

... I don’t know how to post links ...

Highlight the URL you want to link, then copy the link using a keyboard shortcut like CTRL C (PC), or CMD P (Mac).
Return to your post, and paste the link you copied, using a keyboard shortcut like CTRL V (PC), or CMD V (Mac).
The link is automatically created.
The highlighted text now appears underlined and is blue to confirm it is linked.

[gonesail]

aluminum bad choice for water and holding tanks. go with plastic or SS.

[coopec43]

After reading this well reasoned argument by a scientist regarding the association of aluminum intake and Alzheimer's disease (Pub Sept 2018) I really don't think it is worth taking the risk.

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/n...uminum-safety/

[HopCar]

I see I’m late to this conversation. I hope by now you’re convinced to replace those aluminum tanks with plastic. This is where to buy your new plastic tanks. They have almost 500 sizes and shapes. They will install the fittings where ever you want them.
https://ronco-plastics.com/

[PamlicoTraveler]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I think if I was in your situation I would "play it safe" and coat the internal of the tank with a World Health Organization approved product suitable for potable water storage such as Crommelins Water Based Bitumen

That sounds interesting - How would you apply it in an aluminum tank? I guess you would have to cut it open and then weld it back if you don't have inspection ports.

[thinwater]

Lost of weird information in this thread.


The crud is the result of aluminum corrosion products co-precipitation with lime. It is both.



If the amount of aluminum in the water were considerable, then the tank would have holes. We're talking milligrams.



The EPA and other countries I reviewed do NOT have primary standards for aluminum. Only secondary standards for nuisance color and taste. Farther confirmation that this risk is on the fringe.


Cooking and storing acidic foods, vs. pH 7 drinking water, are orders of magnitude different (hundreds to millions) times different, because aluminum solubility is very pH dependent. It also depends on the specific acid.


There is ALWAYS aluminum in water, because it is one of the most plentiful elements in the soil. However, unless the water is very acidic, leaching is very, very limited.



Acids vary in their ability to remove the deposits while leaving the aluminum untouched. CLR (lactic acid) is by far the least damaging to the aluminum per unit deposit removed.


Yes, I would use polyethylene for water. But this would not bother me.



https://www.wqa.org/Portals/0/Techni...4_Aluminum.pdf

[coopec43]

Thinwater


The article you referred to was based on research going back to 2012 and earlier.


REFERENCES/SOURCESHealth Canada (August 2012). “Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality”. US EPA (May 31, 2013). “Secondary Drinking Water Regulations: Guidance for Nuisance Chemicals”. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/secondarystandards.cfm. World Health Organization (2003). “Aluminum in Drinking Water”. Retrieved fromhttp://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/en/aluminium.pdf. World Health Organization (2013). “Chemical Hazards in Drinking Water: Alum


I'm always wary of accepting any medical research findings unless they published in the last year or so. I have concerns over the linking of Glyphosate (Roundup) with cancer but would not consider any finding done in (say) 2015 as credible. There is a lot of debate going on about fluoride in our drinking water. (Maybe I am overly concerned about the damage we are doing to our environment?)