ABSTRACT
Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the earth’s lithosphere and is a very strong neurotoxic agent, especially to children [1,2]. Aluminum also has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease in several studies [3-6]. The sources of aluminum in the environment can be categorized as natural and anthropogenic. The natural sources include volcanic activity and the weathering and erosion of rocks, while the major anthropogenic aluminum source is water-treatment. Alum (aluminum sulfate) is used extensively in water treatment plants as a flocculation agent to remove particulate matter and certain dissolved substances in drinking water. Aluminum’s ability to flocculate and coagulate has put alum into an essential role in the treatment of drinking water [7]. In addition to these sources of aluminum in the environment, there has long been concern about the effects of acid rain (~pH 5 and lower) on the mobility and toxicity of metals to organisms and ecosystems, since toxicity depends heavily on the form of the metal species present in the environment [8].
