So many whistles are made of aluminium-is that a potential danger?There were studies in the past about possible connections with aluminium intake and alzheimers, but I don’t think anything was proven about that.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this?
baen
As long as you play the whistle and don’t eat it, you should be ok.
unless you’re the type who gnaws your whistles, I really wouldn’t worry about it. Heck, copper salts are supposed to be toxic, but my serpent and elfsong haven’t killed me yet.
Brass is supposed to be poisonous too
So do you realy think we all would 
go ahead making alley whistles ifin they would cause people harm. No we leave that to the car makers. 
I’ve heard that delrin mouthpieces have been known to cause WhOA.
I remember I wanted to reply, but I don’t remember why.
What was the question, again?
In Japan,back to 1970s,there was a experiment about whether copper salt was poisonous.And it was proven not to be poisonous.In 1980s,this result turned out to be the official view by the Welfare Ministry in Japan.But remember that copper salt can be poisonous if cooking oil or something like that is poisonous.
There are still many Japanese who still believe the copper salt is poisonous(as in US?) because this is relatively a recent issue.
And I don’t remember it but there is a apparent fact with experiments which makes aluminium poisonous. But aluminium,with almost no tarnish,makes unique sound,very cheap…well I think this is also a matter of trade-off
I dare to choose brass material because I have these knowledge. From these knowledge,I personally think it’s no problem unless the lip part of the mouth piece is aluminium.
Anyway,for example,once anything set off your allergy,anything can be poisonous against you. :roll:
Wooden whistles give you great big awful lip splinters. And I’ve heard that those big funny whistles made in Missouri can cause awful concussions if you get hit upside the head with one of them.
People spend way too much time worrying about things when they could be playing whistles instead.
You know you’re alive when you’re playing…
PhilO
I start to want to make water pipes all over the world made of aluminium.
To see what happens in 20 or 40 years. 
Aluminum is a problem if it’s made into a pot and you cook acidic foods in it a lot. The acid reacts with the aluminum and you end up injesting more of it than is good for you. Playing a whistle made of aluminum will not have this effect. Don’t worry – it’s safe. Just don’t use your whistle to cook tomato sauce every week.
Steven
It was found later that the aluminum in the brains of the Alzheimer’s patients was actually in the stain that was used to mark the damaged tissue, so it was just an experimental artifact. This should have been as big a news story as the original study, but for some reason the scientists didn’t hold a big press conference about it.
Aluminum forms a very hard, continuous, chemically inert oxide that should prevent any ingestion on the part of the whistle player.
Oh well…for a long time I have taken for granted that aluminium is poisonous. Good to know this thread.
What about nickel? I have heard Yamaha will stop making nickel flute in the future,because they think it is the most apparent among metals that this material will activate allergy.
I don’t know that Al is not poisonous, just that one finding was a result of sloppy research.
As to the nickel issue: I had thought that I was allergic to nickel, because I can’t wear sterling earrings. But I CAN wear surgical steel earrings. Surgical steel contains, I think, about the same amount of Ni as sterling does. Of course, sterling also has copper. I don’t have any problem with copper, nickel silver, or any kinds of brasses and bronzes, though.
I don’t think the constituents of alloys will necessarily cause reactions, because the alloys are SO different chemically and physically from the constituent elements.
I don’t believe aluminum to be poisenous unless deliberately eaten.
Perhaps we need to add “Do Not Eat” warning stickers to whistles? 
True stories: I once saw a “no not eat” sticker on the side of a new tire for sale in the automotive section of a department store. Also, a friend of mine named Larry once bought a woodworking router–on the side was the label “Not for use as a dental instrument.” The mind boggles at this last. 
–James
My reply to a previous but similar thread on PVC toxicity applies to aluminim as well. It was as follows:
"Fellow Whistlers,
Please, remain calm.
As your veterinarian I can assure you that having a whistle of any kind in your mouth for long periods of time is one of the safest activities you can pursue to ensure good health and long life.
Research shows that having a whistle in your mouth prevents one from poking other potentially deadly stuff in there like cigarettes, beers, hot dogs, red meat, cream cheese, and anything with the prefix “Mc”.
Furthermore, active whistling prevents other dangerous activities like, skydiving, bungie jumping, flying on airplanes or driving on Americas highways. It is also nearly impossible to catch a sexually transmitted disease while playing a whistle.
In Summary let me say that America and the world would be a safer place if everyone stayed home and played their potintially-toxic whistles.
Steps down from peach crate and bows
Whistle away folks : D
Doc
P.S.
It’s also not fattening!
If a dentist tried to get into my mouth with a router, I don’t know whether I’d die laughing or put the boot to his groin.
Very fine aluminum powder is toxic if inhaled. But then so is very fine glass powder, and I’ve never felt like I was poisoning myself drinking water from a glass. BTW, there was an article in the Washington Post this past weekend about water poisoning. Evidently, a half dozen or so marathoners have died in the past year from it – it causes an electrolyte imbalance.
the thing that really makes me wonder is the fact that most warnings are put in place because someone has tried it.
I remember somebody telling me not to wear antipersperant deoderant because the aluminum would cause breast cancer too. If you listen to the whinging of hypochondriacs, you’ll end up living in a plastic bubble. I say: live your life and stop worrying so darn much, or you’ll give yourself a heart attack anyhow.