Aluminum is one of the most commonly used metals on earth. There used to be a time when Aluminum was considered more precious than gold and silver. Napoleon III served the top-ranking guests in aluminum plates and the others in gold and silver plates. Aluminum is widely used in a plethora of industries owing to the multiple applications it can offer. There is always a confusion as to whether it is spelled aluminum or aluminum. It can only be used as an alloy and it non-toxic to human beings whereas it is very toxic to gilled animals.
Aluminum in pharmaceutical industry
Owing to the excellent properties the metal holds, it has found exemplary applications in pharmaceutical industry apart from the other industries like aerospace, metallurgy, cutlery, culinary, aeronautical, electrical and electronics etc., It is an excellent packaging material and you could have found aluminum foil being used in everyday usage items like aluminum foil for packing your food.
- Aluminum in packing pills
A combination of aluminum and plastic is used for packing the pills. The plastic is used to make the cavity where the pill will be placed and the aluminum will be used to cover the cavity.
- Aluminum in ointment tubes
There are huge pharmaceutical industries which have a subsidiary company which is into packaging. As they don’t want the trade secrets to be leaked out, they make sure they only provide the prepared ointments to a trusted source. The outer layer of ointment tube is made of a combination of aluminum and another metal whereas the inner side of the ointment tube is made of aluminum foil.
Reasons to use aluminum for packaging material
There are many reasons why aluminum is being used in the pharmaceutical industry. Some of the best reasons are listed below.
- Absorbs the colors
When you are using the other type of paints on the materials used for packaging, it might not absorb it very easily. Whereas, you need not spend too much for the painting purpose on aluminum-based packaging material.
- Best for storage
Aluminum can protect the pills or the medication from external moisture, light, oxygen and other type of micro-organisms in the air. This is why there is no stead fast reason that you need to store the medication in cool and dry place as the aluminum in itself possess the property of protecting the pill from external atmospheric conditions. The insulation property of aluminum is way too high and it is one of the major reasons why it is used in ointment pharmaceutical collapsible aluminium tube.
- Nontoxic to human beings
Pharmaceutical items like tablets, syrup is being consumed by human beings. So, they must not be toxic in nature to one’s health. In fact, aluminum is used to treat various diseases related to kidney and it is also used in vaccine. Aluminum hydroxide is used as an antacid.
Also, aluminum is very ductile in nature and it is used in the manufacture of Collapsible aluminium tubes for pharmaceutical use.
It doesn’t emit much harmful gases, has very less carbon footprint. It is never an understatement to mention that aluminium is a super metal.
