Home > Community > Is it safe to use borosilicate glass to drink out of, since Aluminum Oxide is one of the various components it’s made from?
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Marry Harry

Is it safe to use borosilicate glass to drink out of, since Aluminum Oxide is one of the various components it’s made from?

Bryan T  Follow

Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with silica and boron trioxide as the main glass-forming constituents

Borosilicate glass is sold under various trade names, including Borosil, Duran, Pyrex, Supertek, Suprax, Simax, Bellco, Marinex (Brazil), BSA 60, BSC 51 (by NIPRO), Heatex, Endural, Schott, Refmex, Kimax, Gemstone Well, and MG (India).

Virtually all modern laboratory glassware is made of borosilicate glass. It is widely used in this application due to its chemical and thermal resistance and good optical clarity, but the glass can react with sodium hydride upon heating to produce sodium borohydride, a common laboratory reducing agent. Fused quartz is also found in some laboratory equipment when its higher melting point and transmission of UV are required (e.g. for tube furnace liners and UV cuvettes), but the cost and manufacturing difficulties associated with fused quartz make it an impractical investment for the majority of laboratory equipment.

Additionally, borosilicate tubing is used as the feedstock for the production of parenteral drug packaging, such as vials and pre-filled syringes, as well as ampoules and dental cartridges. The chemical resistance of borosilicate glass minimizes the migration of sodium ions from the glass matrix, thus making it well suited for injectable-drug applications. This type of glass is typically referred to as USP / EP JP Type I.

Borosilicate is widely used in implantable medical devices such as prosthetic eyes, artificial hip joints, bone cements, dental composite materials (white fillings)[9] and even in breast implants.

Many implantable devices benefit from the unique advantages of borosilicate glass encapsulation. Applications include veterinary tracking devices, neurostimulators for the treatment of epilepsy, implantable drug pumps, cochlear implants, and physiological sensors.

Cookware is another common usage for borosilicate glass, including bakeware. It is used for some measuring cups, featuring screen printed markings providing graduated measurements. Borosilicate glass is sometimes used for high-quality beverage glassware, particularly in pieces designed for hot drinks. Items made of borosilicate glass can be thin yet durable, or thicker for extra strength, and are microwave- and dishwasher-safe.

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Beach Lemon  Follow

So what is the problem with aluminium oxide? It is chemically stable and virtually insoluble in water. What are you going to drink out of it ? Hydrofluoric acid? most of the world’s cooking utensils are made of aluminium. It it were poisonous, we wouldn’t have a worldwide overpopulation problem.

Stupid question

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Debopam Bose   Follow

No. Don't drink out of glasses and don't clean your teeth either. Aluminium oxide is also an ingredient in toothpaste.

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Bob McCown  Follow

All aluminum items that you have ever touched, eaten out of, stored food in, or cooked with had a layer of aluminum oxide on its surface. Every single piece of ordinary glass, not just borosilicate glass, you have ever touched, eaten out of, stored food in, or cooked with contained aluminum oxide. Being you are still alive it is quite probable that there is no risk from exposure to aluminum oxide. You should try to get your facts straight before asking nonsense questions on Quora.

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Bryan P.  Follow

Is it safe to drink out of borosilicate glass? YES. With so many government agencies looking out for the welfare of the citizens, any unsafe material would be restricted or banished long before you had a chance to ask this amazing question.

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