Evaluation of Indigenous Technology for Cast Aluminium Cookware Production in Nigeria: A Case Study of User Health Risks from Cookware Made in Saki

Today, the artisanal production of aluminium cookware, which relies solely on secondary (recycled) aluminium, has become a crucial activity of socioeconomic significance in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Despite this development, the impacts of the products lifecycle have gained little or no attention in scientific study. In this study, we considered assessing the potential human health risks of the artisanal cast aluminium cookware produced in Saki, Southwestern Nigeria. Water quality tests and microstructural characterisation were done with two cookware samples produced under different smelting conditions. From the preliminary tests, the water analysis result indicates that with an instant use, the migrations of aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and other metallic ions into the water sample boiled with the cookware were not beyond the acceptable limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for water quality standards. From the SEM-EDX results, no toxic or heavy metallic element like lead was found. Additionally, typical elements which are expected to be found in aluminium alloys were present in the composition of the cookware. This indicates that despite the indigenous method of producing the cookware, contaminants that could be detrimental to the health of users were well-controlled. While further experimental testing is proposed, the study observed the need to gradually refine the overall production processes for indigenous aluminium cookware while leveraging scientific knowledge for advancing local craft techniques in a high technological era.