By Florence Hachez-Leroy (Université d'Artois)

In the middle of the 19th century, a new metal appeared among the materials used in cooking: the aluminium, which becomes very common use from the 1890s. From the first days of its birth, the question of its safety is raised and established, in order to define its chemical characteristics and its possible applications. The absolute certainty of the first chemists does not prevent the emergence of several controversies since the 1890s in the United States and Europe. These affect the metal as much in its metallic form, as in that of oxide, in particular as a food additive.

After seeing how Sainte Claire Deville made sure of the harmlessness of the metal, we will examine three successive controversies by trying to understand the motivations, the nature of the actors and their role, in different national contexts. The first takes place between Germany and France and is based on the analysis of gourds soldiers in the 1890s; the second concerns the baking powder in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century; the third calls into question the diet of British citizens in the 1930s.

All these controversies will allow us to see how scientific communities involved in these debates for or against the use of the aluminium in food, were formed. What were the reactions and the role of industry? How is the general public informed or not, and how does the media relay information? How has the state, in each country, reacted or not? We will also try to show the international dimension of the relationships of these scientists and the misuse of their work.

Date: 7th of March 2018, 4.00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Palacio Cerveró. 

Halls: P.Cerveró. Main Conference room.

Coordination: José Ramón Bertomeu and Ximo Guillem

Seminars Coordination: Enric Novella

Retransmission online: reunion.uv.es/hcc2