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What Are the Dangers of Tin Cans?

Many people are aware that tin cans can be sharp once opened, and they take prodigious care not to cut themselves. However, this is generally the only danger that comes to mind when people think of tin cans. In reality, tin cans pose several hazards that consumers should be aware of. The FDA estimates that 17 percent of the diet of the average American comes out of tin cans, and these issues are, therefore, noteworthy

  1. Excessive Exposure to Tin/Aluminum

    • Though most tin cans are coated to prevent contamination of your food, some contamination still occurs in many cases. While small amounts of ingestion should not cause any trouble, repeated exposure may lead to severe stomach pains, kidney and liver issues, and anemia. You may notice irritation or inflammation on your skin or around your eyes. In severe cases of extremely high exposure levels, victims have shown neurological alteration or have died.

    Bisephenol A Exposure

    • Bisephenol A, called BPA for short, is an unregulated chemical that mimics the behavior of natural estrogen in the body and may cause breast cancer in women and men and prompt early puberty in girls. The Environmental Working Group has reported that more than half of the canned items they tested contained BPA and many of the measurable amounts were 200 times the level that the government defines as a traditionally safe exposure to industrial chemicals. The EWG reports that the highest levels of BPA were found in canned chicken soup, powdered infant formula and canned ravioli.

    Botulism Exposure

    • Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes the deadly food poisoning known as botulism, grows from spores often found on fresh vegetation. Vegetables and fruits purchased in their whole state are washed thoroughly and, since botulism needs a lack of air to grow, are considered quite safe. However, when these items are not washed well by the manufacturing plants that can them, botulism may grow within the airless cans and cause illness or death in anyone who consumes those items.

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