Tin poisoning from canned food: what to know

Canning protects food when processing and storage are appropriate. A bulging, leaking, badly rusted, cracked, or spurting container may indicate spoilage or pressure from microbes. The danger may come from foodborne toxins or infection rather than tin itself, so you cannot judge safety by smell or a small taste.

Possible illness can cause [Nausea](/symptoms/nausea/), [Vomiting](/symptoms/vomiting/), [Diarrhoea](/symptoms/diarrhoea/), [Abdominal Pain](/symptoms/abdominal-pain/), or [Fever](/symptoms/fever/). Symptoms and severity depend on the food, contaminant, amount eaten, and the person’s health.

Stop eating the food and keep the container, packaging, and receipt if available; do not serve leftovers or let anyone taste them. Wash hands and clean surfaces that contacted the food. Contact a medical service or poison advice service for tailored guidance, especially if a child, older adult, pregnant person, or someone with a long-term illness was exposed.

Sip safe fluids if you can keep them down. [Oral Rehydration Therapy](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/oral-rehydration-therapy/) may help replace water and salts during diarrhoea or vomiting. Avoid taking anti-diarrhoeal or anti-vomiting medicine without advice when fever, blood, severe pain, or suspected toxin exposure is present.

Seek urgent care for repeated vomiting, inability to drink, very little urine, confusion, fainting, severe abdominal pain, blood in stool or vomit, breathing difficulty, weakness, or a high or persistent fever. Dehydration may require [IV Fluid Therapy](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/iv-fluid-therapy/). Symptoms after eating from a swollen or leaking can deserve prompt advice even if they initially seem mild.

What symptoms should I monitor after this exposure? Should the food be tested or reported? Do I need a stool test, blood test, or treatment? How can I replace fluids safely, and when should I return if symptoms worsen?