The Austrian Ministry of Health Wednesday urged reducing contact with products containing aluminum as much as possible following a new study on their potential health side-effects.

Aluminum has for years been tied to potential risks to Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, and allergies, and its now common appearance in everything from food, water, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals leads to concern over a "cumulative effect," according to the new study.

While there are nowadays few cases of aluminum poisoning, regular use of products such as antiperspirants, lipstick and lip gloss, antacid medication, and food and drinking water, can take the weekly intake of aluminum to several times over the established tolerable rate of one milligram per kilogram of body weight.

The Health Ministry thus urged consumers to minimize use of products such as aluminum foil and drink cans especially if scratched or dented, along with aluminum-free antiperspirant deodorants.

Aluminum-containing deodorants should in particular not be applied to broken skin, and should not be used by children, it added.