When tin is combined with materials that contain carbon, it is called an organotin compound and is used to make plastics, food packages, plastic pipes, pesticides, paints, and pest repellents. Tin metal, as well as 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. 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 products. The time that each type of tin compound stays in the air, water, and soil differs for each compound. In the atmosphere, tin exists as gases and fumes, and attaches to dust particles.
Some tin compounds dissolve in water.
In water, tin attaches to the soil and sediments. Organotins build up in fish, other organisms, and plants. Eating food or drinking juice or other liquids from tin containers Breathing air that contains tin in the workplace or near hazardous waste sites Touching substances that contain high levels of tin. The inorganic tin compounds usually enter and leave your body rapidly when you breathe or eat them, so they usually do not cause harmful effects. Human and animal studies show that large amounts of these tin compounds can cause stomachaches, anemia, and liver and kidney problems.