Aluminium Exposure

After the first week of a month long live-aboard trip I noticed the opening to my first stage was packed with a white powder. The divemaster suspected it was aluminium oxide from the tank. We cleaned the regulator and changed the tank, and I had to repeat this process a week later. The day after the second cleaning, my voice was hoarse, and my lungs felt irritated. I was concerned about the powder, but some other divers who were doctors thought that I had a cold and shouldn't worry. When I got home, my lungs still felt irritated, and I had a cough and could hardly talk. An antibiotic helped a little, but my lungs soon felt much worse. Another doctor suspected asthma and prescribed prednisone and an inhaler, which I am still using often. I have a history of asthma but have had no issues in more than 20 years. Do you think it was aluminium oxide, and how dangerous is this for my lungs?
A: The white powder is most likely aluminium oxide. It is the result of corrosion inside aluminium cylinders. The visible white powder is about 50 microns (µm) in size. Most first-stage inlet filters have pore sizes of 5 µm, so the visible powder would be too large to pass through the filter, causing it to collect at the inlet filter of your first stage. Any particles smaller than that could pass through the filter to the second-stage regulator and into your breathing air. You may have breathed some finer particles of aluminium oxide.
You can open your second-stage regulator to see if any white powder has collected there. Although the human eye cannot see individual particles that small, enough accumulation may be visible. If many tanks of gas have been used with your regulator, it is impossible to know which tank was corroded.
Experts consistently agree that aluminium exposure is a serious concern. The position of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at Saint Louis University is that aluminium may cause liver toxicity and lead to degenerative symptoms, including Alzheimer's.
There is no special treatment other than stopping the exposure if that is what caused your current respiratory condition and treating the respiratory condition itself. Unfortunately, there is no way to detect aluminium oxide in a tank other than opening the tank to inspect it. You can try to prevent your exposure by always using your own tanks. Scuba cylinders in the U.S. must have an annual visual inspection.
— Sheryl Shea, RN, CHT
© Alert Diver Magazine — Q2 2020
A: The white powder is most likely aluminium oxide. It is the result of corrosion inside aluminium cylinders. The visible white powder is about 50 microns (µm) in size. Most first-stage inlet filters have pore sizes of 5 µm, so the visible powder would be too large to pass through the filter, causing it to collect at the inlet filter of your first stage. Any particles smaller than that could pass through the filter to the second-stage regulator and into your breathing air. You may have breathed some finer particles of aluminium oxide.
You can open your second-stage regulator to see if any white powder has collected there. Although the human eye cannot see individual particles that small, enough accumulation may be visible. If many tanks of gas have been used with your regulator, it is impossible to know which tank was corroded.
Experts consistently agree that aluminium exposure is a serious concern. The position of the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at Saint Louis University is that aluminium may cause liver toxicity and lead to degenerative symptoms, including Alzheimer's.
There is no special treatment other than stopping the exposure if that is what caused your current respiratory condition and treating the respiratory condition itself. Unfortunately, there is no way to detect aluminium oxide in a tank other than opening the tank to inspect it. You can try to prevent your exposure by always using your own tanks. Scuba cylinders in the U.S. must have an annual visual inspection.
— Sheryl Shea, RN, CHT
© Alert Diver Magazine — Q2 2020
Posted in Alert Diver Spring Editions, Dive Safety FAQ
Tagged with Aluminium Oxide, Poison, Lung Irritation, Liver Toxicity
Tagged with Aluminium Oxide, Poison, Lung Irritation, Liver Toxicity
Categories
2023
January
March
Demo DiversCape Marine Research and Diver DevelopmentKaboom!....The Big Oxygen Safety IssueTerrific Freedive Mode“LIGHTS, Film, Action!”Scuba Nudi ClothingDive into Freedive InstructionThe Benefits of Being BaldThe Inhaca Ocean Alliance.Special Forces DiverToughing It Out Is DangerousWhat Dive Computers Don\'t Know | PART 2
2022
January
February
UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #1.UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #2UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #3UNCERTAINTY AFTER DIVING: Case Report and Recommendations #4DIVERS LOSING ACCESS TO EMERGENCY CAREPreventing Breathing gas Contamination
March
When Should the Rescue Begin?Celebrating Young and Old in Turks and CaicosScuba Cylinder RundownChasing WeedsUnderwater Smartphone PhotographyAir and a SpareUnderwater Photographer: Fred BuyleBuilding Better BalanceLow-Visibility DivingMore Than a Sore ShoulderNot Only for DivingLaryngospasm and AnxietyPulmonary Hypertension and DivingTitan Meets TitanicPool Operation: Know Before you GoThe Argonaut Octopus and the jellyfishShort but Beautiful Lives
April
A Sense of PurposeMexico’s Sardine RunHigh-Pressure Hose injuriesA Hole in My HeartGoing UpConcussion and Return to DivingMarfan Syndrome Recommendations.South African Sardine Run by Walter BernardisSouth African Sardine Run By ProdiveSardine Run Port Elizabeth by ProDiveSardine Run Port St Johns by ProDiveScuba Diving In MauritiusScuba Diving in TanzaniaScuba Diving in the SeychellesScuba Diving in Nosy BeScuba Diving in MalawiScuba Diving in KenyaScuba Diving in South AfricaScuba Diving in Mozambique
May
June
July
Destination AntarticaUnconscious DiverA Little DetailDive Boat SafetyBlenny Watching 101Bonaire Inspires Hope for the Future of CoralThe Secret to Deep Freediving: Tips from 3 Female World Record HoldersEnsuring Safety in Freediving CompetitionsFour Tips For Staying Warm While Cold Water DivingAnd They Dived Happily Ever AfterFreediving Is About To Enter A New Era If Oxama Has Its SayGET BENT!The Joys and Challenges of the DeepUnderstanding The Secrets of Deep Freediving: Tips from Three National Record Holders