THE AGE OF ALUMINUM TO WORLD PREMIERE AT ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL DC Featured Screening Followed by Panel Discussion with World Renowned Scientists and Health Experts Washington, DC February 27, 2013–THE AGE OF ALUMINIUM based on Austrian filmmaker Bert Ehgartnerʼs groundbreaking book “Dirty Little Secret – The Aluminium Files” will have its world premiere as a featured title of The Environmental Film Festival in the Nationʼs Capital on March 20th, 2013. The screening will be followed by an expert panel discussion at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC. Aluminium is everywhere – not only in soda cans, but also in food, cosmetics and many medications – including most vaccinations. Though an ideal material for making airplanes and computers, aluminium inside any living being can have tragic health consequences. In THE AGE OF ALUMINIUM, the metalʼs dark side emerges as Ehgartner casts a sharp light on the science behind this threat. Through interviews with leading scientists, and individuals, this film reveals eye-popping insights on how aluminiumʼs production destroys the environment and its use can result in catastrophic health consequences. The film recounts the poignant stories of several people whose unwitting exposure to aluminium destroyed their health. “The most abundant metal in the earthʼs crust was considered an exotic material 100 years ago. All living systems expend tremendous energy to become rid of aluminium,” says one of the filmʼs lead scientists Christopher Exley Professor for Bioinorganic Chemistry, Keele University, UK, “Aluminium plays no role in biology. Thatʼs the real mystery. Why has the most abundant metal in the earth crust no role in biological systems?” Long known as a neurotoxin, scientists think aluminium may be linked to breast cancer, Alzheimerʼs disease, allergies and autism. This documentary explores how aluminum may be the “universal toxin” underlying the increase in epidemic levels of chronic illness and age related neurological disorders threatening our population. Aluminium is also an acute environmental foe since its production requires vast amounts of electrical energy and results in the accumulation of millions of tons of toxic red mud. The film traces the heart-breaking stories of indigenous people in the Brazilian rainforest whose exposure to aluminium ended their working lives and destroyed their health. The filmʼs leading scientists ask:
Which products containing aluminium do we consume, apply and inject? What is the impact when this element accumulates inside the body? Why has such little research been conducted on aluminium and human health? Who created the public impression that aluminium was safe?
This essential film explores these questions and more, and starts to unravel the mystery of Aluminium始s effect on us all. More information about the film can be found at http://ageofaluminum.com or visit the festival website at: http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/films/show/1012
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