Behaviour and ecotoxicology of aluminium in soil and water - Review of the scientific literature

The scientific literature on chemical and biological behaviour of aluminium products and aluminium compounds following exposure to environmental media is considered. Although many studies have been performed on corrosion of aluminium products, no precise information exists about the amount of aluminium released by dissolution of the protective layer of aluminium products. Since no data are available on the effect caused by introduction of anthropogenic aluminium into the environment a comparison between aluminium released as a result of human activity and geogenic aluminium is only possible by estimating the extent to which anthropogenic aluminium is released using purely theoretical premises. The important results in the literature about the availability and toxicological effects of metallic aluminium and aluminium compounds are presented. Finally, a general assessment of the environmental compatibility of aluminium products is given.