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The Drawing Effects of Alum Powder

Alum, also called aluminum sulfate, is a compound salt, but if you put some on your tongue your first taste will be sweet. This is quickly followed by "puckering" and is caused by the astringency of the compound. There will be an abundance of saliva flow, the mucous membrane will blanch, capillaries will contract and you will now have dryness in your throat and become very thirsty. Large doses can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

  1. Common Uses for Alum

    • Aluminum sulfate (alum) is used in many over-the-counter items such as deodorant, baby wipes, buffered aspirin, hemorrhoid creams, vaginal douches and suntan lotions. It can also be found in food products such as baking powder, self-rising flour, processed cheese and food containers (foils, aluminum cans). The medical industry also uses alum in vaccinations, wound irrigation, ulcer treatment and burn treatments.

    History

    • When alum was discovered is not entirely known. The manufacture of it was first thought to be in the East but exactly where is unknown. According to some historians, it was manufactured 400 or 500 years ago in Syria, but others say it first occurred in Civita Vecchia in the province of Rome. Alum works existed in Constantinople. When the Grecian empire fell, the art of making alum went to Italy. A Genoese merchant, Bartholomew Pernix, found alum ore on the island of Ischia around the year 1459.

    Controversy Surrounding Alum

    • Toxicity of aluminum has long been recognized to play a role in some cases of encephalopathy (stuttering, seizures, gait disturbance), osteomalacia (bone disease associated with spontaneous bone breaks), increased risk of infection and decreased myocardial function. The aluminum exposure would have to be heavy or prolonged, or renal function would have to be impaired, for these conditions to occur. Paradoxically, alum has been used to treat conditions such as catarrh, an inflammation of the mucous membranes (such as a common cold).

    Possible Effects on Mercury

    • Alum is considered safe and cheap enough to be used to decrease phosphorous, to control algae bloom and to add to the clarity of water. The FDA has exempted aluminum from testing because it is classified as GRAS (generally regarded as safe). There are no restrictions on the use of aluminum. The issue is the sulfate that alum contains, which allows mercury already in the water to be changed into methyl mercury, a toxin that can find its way into the food chain.

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