Forty percent of food stuffs in China contain more aluminium than allowed under the national standard, the Beijing News reported here Monday.

Many foods contain 2 to 9 times more aluminium than the recommended amount, the paper quoted the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention as saying.

The center has investigated the aluminium content in various foods in 12 provinces and autonomous regions in China the paper said.

A typical person in China consumes 34 milligrams of aluminium in their daily diet.

This is within the limits set up by the World Health Organization for adults but it could but dangerous for kids, the paper said.

"Too much aluminium will cause neurological diseases and a loss of calcium," Yu Kang, a noted professor with Beijing Union Medical College Hospital was quoted by the paper as saying.

A diet that is high in aluminium "can hindered a child's intellectual development and physical growth," Yu added.

Source: Xinhua