The Dangers of Cooking with Mason Jar Lids

Canning jar lids, otherwise known as bands, are made of tinplate steel.  

Randall Metals says, “Tin Plate is produced from black plated steel that is coated with tin on both sides by electrodeposition,” a process of attaching one metal over another. 

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine says, “Inorganic tin (Sn) is a unique metal in the sense that it has been considered least toxic to humans, possibly because absorption from the gastrointestinal tract is limited and passage through the tract is rapid and accumulation in the tissue is low, although the half life is substantially long, e.g., 29 days in mice. Sn may, however, cause acute GI tract problems, such as abdominal distension, pain and vomiting both in experimental animals and in humans.”

Adverse Drug Reactions And Acute Poisoning Reviews says, “Only about 5 per cent is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, widely distributed in the body, then excreted by the kidney. Some tin is deposited in lung and bone. Some tin salts can cause renal necrosis after parenteral doses.” Contamination traditionally comes from canned foods, specifically acidic products such as tomato and pineapple. 

They go on to say 5-7 mg per kg body weight shows a rise in toxic symptoms.

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Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology says, “A tolerable limit for tin concentration in canned food of 250 ppm is generally accepted. However, biochemical effects attributable to tin have been observed even after oral administration of 1 and 3 mg Sn/kg body wt. These doses reflect 10 and 30 ppm tin in the diet.”

TOXNET, Toxicology Data Network performed a study with ingestion of tin and found, “Tin, as stannous chloride, is readily taken up by human white blood cells and can cause damage to DNA.” The clinical summary of exposure showed, “There appears to be no serious risk from ingestion non-corrosive inorganic tin compounds. Organic tin compounds, however, may cause significant and varied toxicity. Organotin toxicity affects 4 main target organs: the brain, liver, immune system and the skin.”

Mason jar lids corrode.

 The same tin is used for lining cans.  Scott McCarty of Colorado-based Ball Corporation told Scientific American, “Cans are reliable, recyclable, durable packages that keep beverages and foods fresh and allow them to be transported safely for thousands of miles, even into remote regions—but they were not made to be used as cooking containers.”

More importantly, an email was sent to the manufacturer of mason jar lids who replied, “Thank you for contacting Jarden Home Brands to inquire about using the lids to cook in. Unfortunately, we do not have guidelines for cooking in our lids.”

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.