http://www.gapalicious.com/2011/05/09/does-arm-and-hammer-baking-soda-contain-aluminum/
“Thank you for taking the time to contact Church & Dwight Co., Inc. regarding ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda.
In response to your inquiry, ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate and does not contain aluminum.” (emphasis mine)
John W. Apsley, II, MD(E), ND, DC
"Key mechanisms essential to the cancer process are modulated by sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or common aluminum-free baking soda."
How Baking Soda Is Made
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Baking-Soda.html
"In the late 1800s, another method of producing soda ash was devised by Ernest Solvay, a Belgian chemical engineer. The Solvay method was soon adapted in the United States, where it replaced the Leblanc process. In the Solvay process, carbon dioxide and ammonia are passed into a concentrated solution of sodium chloride. Crude sodium bicarbonate precipitates out and is heated to form soda ash, which is then further treated and refined to form sodium bicarbonate of United States Pharnacopoeia (U.S.P.) purity. Although this method of producing baking soda ash is widely used, it is also problematic because the chemicals used in the process are pollutants and cause disposal problems. An alternative is to refine soda ash from trona ore, a natural deposit....Because the synthetic process used in the Solvay method presented some pollution problems, Church & Dwight Co. Inc. [makers of Arm & Hammer] is basing more and more [meaning not all of its baking soda is being processed with trona, yet] of its manufacturing on trona mining. Another large producer of soda ash, the FMC Corporation, also relies on trona to manufacture soda ash and sodium bicarbonate. [Read the article, Trona ore has to be be processed, too.] Step 4 of the process: "the baking soda manufactured is more than 99 percent pure." [Notice in the email above, A&H says it is 100% sodium bicarbonate, not that the sodium bicarbonate is 100% pure. So, what's in the fractional amount that is not pure?]
Look at the diagram and read the entire process, including the storage tanks. What is the equipment made of? Is anything aluminum? Notice heat is used in the processing. What happens when you heat water in an aluminum teapot? Or drink highly-acidic drinks in aluminum cans? Heat and acid break down aluminum, which is implicated in Alzheimer's.
So, until we can nail down what that fraction of impurity actually is and determine if there is any aluminum equipment/parts along the processing chain, it is best to use Bob's Red Mill because it advertises it is aluminum-free (presuming they have had it tested. However, it behooves consumers to find out if they actually had it tested, or are just assuming since they didn't add aluminum). Arm & Hammer does not advertise that is is aluminum-free. Its statement is along the lines of ingredients, i.e., we don't add anything else, it's just 100% baking soda. A&H may not add aluminum, but there is a chance aluminum is in it from the manufacturing process, like mercury from the processing contaminates high fructose corn syrup. Notice, mercury is not on the ingredient list of HFCS either.
Better to be safe than sorry.
P.S. After reading all that, I found this: http://godfire.net/Health_Corner/baking_sodas_are_all_the_same.htm which contains an email from Bob's Red Mill, and also saying the Solvay process is no longer used in the U.S., but is elsewhere. It still doesn't answer the question about trace amounts of impurities from the manufacturing process contaminating the baking soda. And, again, it is implied it is not added, but no word about having tested their product. Which means A&H (most of their source, but not all) and Bob's Red Mill's baking soda are coming from the same place, one is cheap and the other is expensive. And the "aluminum free" advertising just means Bob's Red Mill doesn't add aluminum as an anti-caking agent, as was done in times past (though baking powder did and may still add it).
P.P.S. Someone just told me, during discussions of these findings, that he has a large bag of A&H baking soda which says not to ingest it, it is for cleaning, get the smaller package. This is probably because there are 6 grades of baking soda and the finest grade #1 is for food and pharmaceuticals. So, don't think buying a large bag of A&H baking soda is saving money if you are planning to ingest it. READ THE LABEL!
P.P.P.S. I just received a shipment of long-term storage baking supplies from Rainy Day Foods. Their baking powder specifically states that it does not contain aluminum.
And, following up on the statement that HFCS is contaminated with mercury, here is what I found. First, not all HFCS is contaminated, and a Duke mercury expert says it is not contaminated:
http://www.naturalnews.com/032948_high_fructose_corn_syrup_glutaraldehyde.html (well documented)
http://sweetsurprise.com/hfcs-faqs#108
Research it and decide for yourself!
Replies
Sorry for not posting sooner. I checked my baking powder brand label. The list of ingredient does not contain Aluminium.
Hi Dianna.
Thanks for this posting.. so much GOOD info here... Who knew? aluminum in baking powder... Also, I did get holistic drops to add to water to raise the pH.
Oh.. and a big Hi to everyone!
I would assume it depends on the brand of baking soda as whether it has aluminum added to it. Thank goodness I use Metex to detox from heavy minerals from time to time.
I just read an article about baking powder. Yes it does . From now on, I will buy aluminium free baking powder.
Excellent research. Is there aluminium in baking powder? I use baking powder frequently for baking muffins.
Another source of aluminium is in deodorants. Since most cases of Alzheimer affect women, I suspect that deodorant are the main culprit. Women are shaving their armpit on a regular basis. Since the skin is scraped by the razor blade, micro openings are cut into the skin. With the application of deodorant, the product bypass the skin barrier and goes directly into the blood stream.
Edgar Casey has often recommended baking soda for ailments. The food that we eat, especially process food tends to acidify the blood. Baking soda when ingested, will help the body to maintain a more neutral pH which helps in disease prevention such has cancer.