A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English), or can is a container made of thin metal, for distribution or storage of goods. Some cans are opened by removing the top panel with a can opener or other tool; others have covers removable by hand without a tool. Cans can store a broad variety of contents: food, beverages, oil, chemicals, etc. In a broad sense, any metal container is sometimes called a "tin can", even if it is made, for example, of aluminium.[1][2]
Steel cans were traditionally made of tinplate; the tin coating stopped the contents from rusting the steel. Tinned steel is still used, especially for fruit juices and pale canned fruit. Modern cans are often made from steel lined with transparent films made from assorted plastics, instead of tin. Early cans were often soldered with neurotoxic high-lead solders. High-lead solders were banned in the 1990s in the United States,[3] but smaller amounts of lead were still often present in both the solder used to seal cans and in the mostly-tin linings.
Cans are highly recyclable and around 65% of steel cans are recycled.[4]
- ^ Stevenson, Angus; Lindberg, Christine A. (28 October 2010). "tin can". New Oxford American Dictionary, Third Edition. Oxford: OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-539288-3.
- ^ Kraus, F J (2009). "Steel Cans". In Yam, K L (ed.). Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology. Wiley. pp. 205–216. ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6.
- ^ "It's time to eliminate lead from tin coating and solder on metal food cans - EDF Health". blogs.edf.org. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
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