toxic...???

[cheepo]

ok...crazy me...but i just purchased a car load of 150 unused gallon paintcans...
thinking long term storage...
or rodent proof...or just like #10 cans..
but now...i am thinking...if they would somehow be toxic..in long term storage...???

Unfortunatly...we have been experiencing some unwanted rodent guests...
if anyone...has had any effective ways of erradicating..they would like to share
would be much appreciated

 

[Joel_BC]

ok...crazy me...but i just purchased a car load of 150 unused gallon paintcans...
thinking long term storage...
or rodent proof...or just like #10 cans..
but now...i am thinking...if they would somehow be toxic..in long term storage...???

Unfortunatly...we have been experiencing some unwanted rodent guests...
if anyone...has had any effective ways of erradicating..they would like to share
would be much appreciated

The metal coating on the steel cans might well be the same as what's used in the food industry.

But I don't really know. If you can find a manufacturer's name on the cans, try emailing them with your question. Besides a manufacturer, maybe a wholesale supplier of containers could answer the question.

It's possible that someone selling paint in your locality might know about the coating on the metal in these cans... though I'd think that the floor staff and clerks in a big-box store probably wouldn't know much.

 

[the funny farm6]

we have a couple old cans of paint that are starting to rust. so not sure i would store food in them.

as for rodents... we get some poison that is poisonous to rodents, but NOT to pets. in fact the guy said they would have to eat 3X their weight in it just to start to make them a little sick. it looks like small suit cakes you buy the birds in the winter. the dead rodents dont smell when they die either. i will ask hubby the name of it tomarow...

 

[k15n1]

If they're new, it should be fine. Should be. Use your own judgement.

I've been using metal containers for a while and I HEARTILY RECOMMEND A LINER. May not matter if it's galvanized metal, but I think it's better to avoid the chance of the can rusting. And it's just nicer. And niceness can be an important psychological component if you're living with others who are not as excited about being SS.

Plastics are completely different from metal, BTW. Plastics are formed from a simple hydrocarbon in various radical and other messy relatively uncontrolled reactions. That's why there's a new car smell---it's the partially reacted ethylene that's still volatile enough to outgas into the interior of the vehicle. Because it's a network of cross-linked hydrocarbons, plastic is somewhat permeable. When I was in medical research, we would occasionally have a problem with zink leaching out of polyethylene tubes---washing over and over with EDTA (binds metals) wouldn't remove all of the zink. And we all know that plastic isn't completely air-tight. And we've all stained a plastic container with tomato sauce. So imagine if there was some toxic material in a plastic container and you accidently re-used the container for food? Yeah, it might leach into the food. Of course, it depends on the food. Some chemicals may never make it into flour or rum, but better safe than sorry.

EDIT: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=147650

 

[cheepo]

thanks 4 your replys.
great tip ..joel...but there dosent seem to be any markings...the insides are grey toned coated..not.straight tin..
but i will use a barier layer...probably thick paper..

funny farm...i had been leary of using poision..because...i had though i didn't want dead smell decay...glad to know..there isn't an odour...(would apreciate the name)
we have a himilayan cat...a real princess..she dosen't even turn her head for a mouse sound...definately has proven useless in earning her keep...

years ago k1 i watched a show about a plastic plant...whos toxins were causing...medical havock for town enhabitants...
what stuck with me from that program...is the plastic toxins when injested...our bodies do not dispose of...and just linger in the body....I never microwave plastic...because of that...
the guys blood was tested and contained all sorts...of whatever
generally i use canning jars for everything...

 

[ThrottleJockey]

If you are concerned about the cans possibly being toxic, you should also be worried about moisture. Try to get some mylar bags and O2 absorbers, then put a bag in each can, fill it with food, toss in an O2 absorber and seal the bag before putting the lid on the can.