Is Tin Foil a Fire and Health Hazard in the Stovetop?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the safety of using tin foil under stove burners, particularly regarding potential fire hazards and health risks associated with burning aluminum foil. Participants explore the implications of burning foil in the context of cooking and the effects of aluminum exposure.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes an incident where soup spilled onto tin foil, leading to flames, and questions whether the foil poses a fire hazard or health risk when burned.
  • Another participant asserts that aluminum foil is generally not considered hazardous to health and suggests that the flames observed were likely due to the burning soup rather than the foil.
  • Some participants note that while aluminum foil can oxidize, the amount of heat generated from this process is negligible compared to the heat from cooking.
  • A participant expresses concern about whether burning tin foil could be toxic, comparing it to the risks associated with burning plastic.
  • It is mentioned that while aluminum can have toxic effects on the nervous system, these effects would require much larger quantities than what would be burned in a typical cooking scenario.
  • Another viewpoint suggests that the burning issue may be related to the corrosive effects of ash from burned soup solids on aluminum rather than the foil itself burning through.
  • One participant argues that using tin foil is a protective measure for the stove, potentially safer than other materials that could catch fire.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the safety and risks associated with burning tin foil. There is no consensus on whether the foil poses a significant health or fire hazard, and multiple competing perspectives remain regarding its effects when exposed to high temperatures.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the oxidation of aluminum and its health effects depend on specific conditions, such as the quantity of aluminum involved and the temperature of the stove. The discussion does not resolve these nuances.

Nusc
Messages
752
Reaction score
2
My roommates were using Tin Foil under the stove burner to prevent the base from getting messy.

One instance when I was cooking soup, the contents spilled onto the base covered by the tin foil. The contents started to burn and I saw flames.

Tin foil has a very high melting point. I can't remember if I saw a hole in the tin foil but it definitely looked like the foil burned.

In either case, I need to establish the conclusion whether or not this poses a health hazard as a result of the burning tin foil and whether the tin foil in the stove top poses a fire hazard.

My roommate argued that because the base and the foil are both metals, the contents that spilt would have burned anyway. This is soup that we're talking about and I don't think the contents would have burned if they foil had not been there.Thank you!
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
Tin foil is actually aluminum and is generally not considered hazardous for the health.

As for the fire hazard - my bet is that flames you have seen are not related to foil and you would see them even if there was no foil. Foil gets easily and fast oxidized in flame, but amount of Al is small and amount of additional heat generated during oxidation is neglectable compared to the heat from burning gas (that is during soup cooking, not in some fancy setups designed to exploit Al oxidation - after all termite uses exactly the same reaction, but amount of Al involved is incomparable).

--
methods
 
Last edited:
Borek said:
Foil gets easily and fast oxidized in flame, but amount of Al is small and amount of additional heat generated during oxidation is neglectable compared to the heat from burning gas (that is during soup cooking, not in some fancy setups designed to exploit Al oxidation - after all termite uses exactly the same reaction, but amount of Al involved is incomparable).

Sorry, what are you trying to say here?
 
Nusc said:
Sorry, what are you trying to say here?

Al foil can burn (oxidise), but only very slightly on the surface and it is nothing compared to the burning soup
 
My roommate tried to argue with me saying that tin foil cannot burn. In theory it can start to melt at very high temperature. And based on the above response, it can burn but very slightly.

I guess I should have made myself clear.

So Tin foil does not pose a health risk if burned? I thought it would be toxic like plastic.
 
The amount that you could burn on a stove isn't hazardous. You definitely don't want to stand over it and inhale it when it's burning, but if that worries you, just open a window or something. Aluminum can have some pretty toxic effects on the nervous system, but these occur with much higher quantities than what you're talking about. What seems to be a bigger problem to me is that your stove is getting hot enough to oxidize a significant amount of aluminum.
 
This is probably not an aluminum fire. You probably burned the soup solids which contains a lot of NaCl and other ash producing materials. The ash from the fire likely contained Na2O or NaOH or Na2CO3 which is very corrosive to aluminum, especially at elevated temperature.
Burned a hole? No.
Corroded a hole from exposure to alkaline ash and high temperature? Very probable.
 
Look at it this way: the tin foil is protecting everything else from harm.

Of all the things that could get dripped on and burned, tin foil is probably a good idea safety-wise. Better than rubber or plastic or some other unpredictable thing being set ablaze.
 
pzona and chemisttree thank you! Now my roommate was rather condenscending about it, do know of a scientific article which I just post on the stove? I was really pissed off yesturday.
 

Similar threads

Cooking (Thermodynamics) Problems
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
News Bush Honest & Trustworthy Until How Many Lies?
  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
11K