September 2003 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Tin and Compounds |
(Estaño) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about tin. For more information, you
may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This
fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous
substances and their health effects. This information is important
because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure
to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration,
how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether
other chemicals are present.
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HIGHLIGHTS: The main route
of exposure to tin and tin compounds is by eating food
contaminated with these compounds. Swallowing large amounts
of inorganic tin compounds may cause stomach aches, anemia,
and liver and kidney problems. Humans exposed for a short
period of time to some organic tin compounds have experienced
skin and eye irritation and neurological problems; exposure
to very high amounts may be lethal. Metallic tin and inorganic
tin compounds have been found in at least 214 of the 1,636
National Priority List (NPL) sites identified by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). Organic tin compounds have been
identified in at least 7 of the NPL sites. |
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What
are tin and tin compounds? |
Tin is a natural element in the earth's
crust. It is a soft, white, silvery metal that does not dissolve
in water. It is present in brass, bronze, pewter, and some
soldering materials. Tin metal is used to line cans for food,
beverages, and aerosols.
Tin can combine with other chemicals
to form compounds. Combinations with chemicals like chlorine,
sulfur, or oxygen are called inorganic tin compounds (i.e.,
stannous chloride, stannous sulfide, stannic oxide). These
are used in toothpaste, perfumes, soaps, food additives and
dyes. Tin also can combine with carbon to form organotin compounds
(i.e., dibutyltin, tributyltin, triphenyltin). These compounds
are used to make plastics, food packages, plastic pipes, pesticides,
paints, and pest repellents.
Tin metal, and inorganic and organic
tin compounds can be found in the air, water, and soil near
places where they are naturally present in the rocks, or where
they are mined, manufactured, or used.
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What
happens to tin and tin compounds when they enter the environment? |
- Tin is released into the environment by both natural processes
and human activities, such as mining, coal and oil combustion,
and the production and use of tin compounds. Metallic tin
released to the environment will quickly form inorganic
tin compounds.
- Inorganic tin cannot be destroyed in the environment;
it can only change its form. Organic tin compounds can be
degraded to inorganic tin compounds by sunlight and bacteria.
- In the atmosphere, tin exists as gases and fumes, and
attaches to dust particles. Particles in the air containing
tin may be transported by wind or washed out of the air
by rain or snow.
- Inorganic tin binds to soil and to sediments in water.
Some inorganic tin compounds dissolve in water.
- Organic tin compounds stick to soil sediment, and particles
in water.
- The time each organic tin compound stays in water and
soil differs for each compound. In water it may range from
days to weeks and in soil it may be years.
- Organic tin compounds can build up in fish, other organisms,
and plants.
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How
might I be exposed to tin and tin compounds? |
- Eating food or drinking liquids from tin-lined cans (today
greater than 90% of tin-lined cans used for food are protected
with lacquer).
- Breathing air or touching dusts that contains tin in the
workplace or near hazardous waste sites.
- Exposure to some organotins can occur by eating seafood
from coastal waters or from contact with household products
that contain organotin compounds (i.e., some plastics).
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How
can tin and tin compounds affect my health? |
Metallic tin is not very toxic due to
its poor gastrointestinal absorption, but inhalation of fumes
of molten metallic tin can produce adverse pulmonary effects.
Human and animal studies show that ingestion of large amounts
of inorganic tin compounds can cause stomach aches, anemia,
and liver and kidney problems.
Breathing or swallowing, or skin contact
with some organotins, such as trimethyltin and triethyltin
compounds, can interfere with the way the brain and nervous
system work. In severe cases, it can cause death.
Some organotin compounds, such as dibutyltins and tributyltins,
have been shown to affect the immune system in animals, but
this has not been examined in people. Studies in animals also
have shown that some organotins, such as dibutyltins, tributyltins,
and triphenyltins, can affect the reproductive system. This,
also, has not been examined in people.
Inorganic or organic tin compounds placed
on the skin or in the eyes can produce skin and eye irritation.
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How
likely are tin and tin compounds to cause cancer? |
There is no evidence that tin or tin
compounds cause cancer in humans. Studies in animals have
not shown evidence of carcinogenicity for inorganic tin. A
study in rats and another in mice showed that a specific organotin,
triphenyltin hydroxide, can produce cancer in animals after
long-term oral administration.
The Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC),
and the EPA have not classified metallic tin or inorganic
tin compounds for carcinogenicity. The EPA has determined
that a specific organotin, tributyltin oxide, is not classifiable
as to human carcinogenicity.
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How
can tin and tin compounds affect children? |
There are no studies on health effects
in children exposed to tin and tin compounds. However, it
is reasonable to assume that children would exhibit the same
type of health effects observed in exposed adults. There are
no reports of adverse developmental effects in humans exposed
to tin or its compounds, nor of inorganic tin in animals.
Exposure of rodents to some organotins during pregnancy has
produced birth defects in the newborn animals. A study with
tributyltin in rats found that exposure during gestation,
lactation, and following lactation affected the development
of some sexual characteristics in female rats. We do not know
whether tin and tin compounds can be passed to newborn animals
in maternal milk. We know that some organotins can cross the
placenta and reach the fetus in animals.
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How
can families reduce the risk of exposure to tin and tin compounds? |
- Because tin is naturally found in the environment, we
cannot avoid being exposed to it.
- Reduce the amount of canned products you eat or drink
and store unused portions in separate containers.
- Reduce your consumption of seafood from waters that may
be contaminated with organic tin compounds and your contact
with household products that contain organotin compounds
(for example, silicon-coated baking parchment paper).
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to tin? |
There are tests to measure total tin
and specific organotin compounds in your blood, urine, feces,
and body tissues. Normally, small amounts of tin can be found
in the body because of the daily exposure to small amounts
in the food. Therefore, the available tests cannot tell you
when you were exposed or the exact amount of tin to which
you were exposed, but can help determine if you were exposed
to an unusually high amount of tin in the near past. These
tests are not routinely performed at your doctor's office,
but your doctor can take samples and send them to a testing
laboratory.
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Has
the federal government made recommendations to protect human
health? |
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has set a limit of 0.1 milligrams per cubic meter of
air (0.1 mg/m³) in the workplace for organotin compounds
and 2.0 mg/m³ for inorganic tin compounds, except oxides.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulates the use of some organic tin compounds in coatings
and plastic food packaging. The FDA also has set limits for
the use of an inorganic tin compound, stannous chloride, as
an additive for food.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 2003. Toxicological
Profile for Tin and Compounds (Draft for Public Comment).
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Public Health Service.
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Where can I get
more information? |
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational
and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize,
evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances. You can also contact your community or state health
or environmental quality department if you have any more questions
or concerns.
For more information, contact:
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov
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