The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-23
Canned Death.

Mysterious and sudden deaths for years
past have been on the increase in this coun-
try. Various explanations have been sug-
gested, and it is generally believed that
adulterated food has much to do with the
mortality problem.
II cannot be denied that one direct cause
Of death is the consumption of canned
| goods, We produce every year 502, 900, 900
cans of all sorts of food articles, and con-
sumo most of them at homo. We can fruit,
oysters, sardines, corned beef and vege-
tables.
Now, how is the canning process con-
Quoted? Professor Tonry, chemical ex-
pert of Baltimore, says:
| The figures showing the magnitude of the can
ming industry emphasize distressingly the danger
| which attends improper canning All tin cans
| have 10 be sodered, and the best solder contains
| five parts of tin to seven parts load A "fux"
sometimes of powdered rosin, and sometimes Of
liquid chloride of zinc containing free muriatic
acid, il applied to the tin surfaces that are TO be
soldered. Their are two bands of solder in each
can, and, on the average six square inches of sol
| der surface on the inside of each can: and these
six square inches are composed of mixture of tin
and lead, with 90 co. or even greater percentage
of lead There is danger that the solvent effect of
| an acid liquid, when acid vegetables or an acid
fruit packed without syrup put into an inside
| soldered can, win make itself felt, and eating
away the SOLDER mpregnate the contents of the Gan
with the lead. There is also danger from galyanic
action resulting from contact between the acid and
| the metal, producing decomposition. This danger
1t should be said occurs only where inside solder
ing is used and is greatly lessened where the CON
| tents of the are packed in cane sugar syrup
which acts to prevent direct solvent action the
lead of the solder and also TO retard galyanio &C.
ton. What the effect of inside soldering may be is
illustrated in a startling way by the story Of GER
| tain con of American sardines.
It matters not how much French the fat can has
spread over it in yellow and black letters, the con-
tents not sardines and are not put up in huile
dolive pure, but in cottonseed oil. have now be-
fore me one of these sardne tins with solder the
inside and fully onequarter of the inside surface of
| the metal gone The fish that were contained in
this trA nearly all used by three persons; two
| of them were children. and all were taken sick
within halt an hour after the meal. The child who
ate most OF the fish died within twenty-four hours
| made chemical examination of the viscera OF
the dead child and found lead in the viscera lead
| was also found in the oil and remaining contents
Of the tin. What remained of every article Of food
used at the same lunch was also examined chemi-
| e. ~ and no poison Of any kind found The YER
dict of the jury was death nom lead-poisoning
from an improperly soldered sardiue car"
Professor Tonry is in favor of a law pro-
hibiting the use of insdes oldered cans. In
making cans by machinery, the heat from a
| jet around the outside forces the solder and
the dux in, or if already on the inside keeps
1t there. This is dangerous, and it would
be safer to use the hand made cans because
! their solder and fux are driven on the out
side, where they do not injure the contents
! of the cans.
As many people die a painful death every
year from eating canned goods, it is time
! for the law to interfere.