I have measured the concentration of aluminium in myriad solutions and matrices from the urine of heroin addicts to infant formulas. It is somewhat ironic that the latter are currently in short supply in the US. A silver lining being that infants will get a break from their daily intoxication by aluminium.
However, the scandal of aluminium intoxication by fluid warmer was brought to my attention in a paper published in Anaesthesia. I first wrote about this research in my medical blog. I followed this up with a Letter to the Editor and additional related correspondence. The crux of the matter is that extremely vulnerable people receiving critical infusions of blood and other fluids were, simultaneously, being infused with life-threatening amounts of aluminium. I am not exaggerating. The concentrations of aluminium in blood resulting from contamination through fluid warmers are equivalent to those known to cause, for example, dialysis-related encephalopathy. The origin of the aluminium is the heating unit used in these devices. An analogy being similar units used in electronic cigarettes. These and similar devices have been used across the globe for decades and, according to personal communications from anaesthesiologists remain in use today in spite of cautionary notices from regulatory bodies such as the FDA in the US. How many people have been affected by the use of these devices is unknown but the numbers must be huge including many deaths brought about by the additional stress of being exposed to life-threatening concentrations of aluminium. After I had written my medical blog on this subject I was contacted by more than one law firm. They were expecting a flood of cases in relation to this scandal. They are still waiting for the floodgates to open. They may have to wait for a very long time. Ranks have been closed as is usual for anything implicating aluminium in human disease.
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote:
"Plus ca change ... plus c'est la même chose “ – the more things change, the more they stay the same…
Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo. A change of heart must accompany experience before lasting change occurs.
The shortage of baby formula may be a blessing in disguise.