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Summary of Evaluations Performed by the
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

TIN
See: STANNOUS CHLORIDE
Functional class: CONTAMINANT
Latest evaluation: 2005
Tolerable Intake: PTWI 14 mg/kg bw (1988)
Comments: The PTWI, expressed as Sn, includes tin from food additive uses. The 1988 PTWI was not reconsidered and was maintained at the sixty-fourth meeting (2005). At this meeting the Committee concluded that the available data indicated that it is inappropriate to establish an acute reference dose for inorganic tin, since whether irritation of the gastrointestinal tract occurs after ingestion of a food containing tin depends on the concentration and nature of tin in the product, rather than on the dose ingested on a body-weight basis. The Committee reiterated its opinion, expressed at its thirty-third and fifty-fifth meetings, that the available data for humans indicated that inorganic tin at concentrations greater than 150 mg/kg in canned beverages or 250 mg/kg in canned foods may produce acute manifestations of gastric irritation in certain individuals. Therefore, ingestion of reasonably-sized portions containing inorganic tin at concentrations equal to the proposed standards for canned beverages (200 mg/kg) may lead to adverse reactions.
Report: TRS 930-JECFA 64/40
Tox monograph: FAS for JECFA 64 in press
Addendum: FAS 46-JECFA 55/307
Previous status: 2000, TRS 901-JECFA 55/69, FAS 24-JECFA 33/329 (1988). THE PTWI, EXPRESSED AS SN, INCLUDES TIN FROM FOOD ADDITIVE USES. THE 1988 PTWI WAS NOT RECONSIDERED AND WAS MAINTAINED AT THE FIFTY-FIFTH MEETING (2000). THE ACUTE TOXICITY OF TIN WAS ASSESSED AT THE FIFTY-FIFTH MEETING, BUT DATA WERE INSUFFICIENT FOR ESTABLISHING AN ACUTE REFERENCE DOSE. THE COMMITTEE REITERATED THE CONCLUSION REACHED IN 1988 THAT TIN CONCENTRATIONS AS LOW AS 150 MG/KG IN CANNED BEVERAGES AND 250 MG/KG IN OTHER CANNED FOODS MAY PRODUCE ACUTE MANIFESTATIONS OF GASTRIC IRRITATION IN CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.
1988, TRS 776-JECFA 33/34, FAS 24-JECFA 33/329. PTWI 14 (INCLUDES TIN FROM FOOD ADDITIVE USES; TIN LEVELS IN CANNED FOOD SHOULD BE AS LOW AS PRACTICABLE BECAUSE OF POSSIBILITY OF GASTRIC IRRITATION)
1982, TRS 683-JECFA 26/32, FAS 17-JECFA 26/297. 2 (PMTDI; INORGANIC TIN, INCLUDING STANNOUS CHLORIDE)
1978, TRS 631-JECFA 22/27, NOT PREPARED. NO TOLERABLE INTAKE ESTABLISHED (THE PRESENCE OF INORGANIC TIN IN FOODS MAY BE LIMITED BY GMP). NO. O.
1975, NMRS 55/TRS 576-JECFA 19/16, NOT PREPARED. NO ADI ALLOCATED. NO
1971, NMRS 50/TRS 488-JECFA 15/19, FAS 1/NMRS 50A-JECFA 15/98. NO ADI. NO
1970, NMRS 48/TRS 462-JECFA 14/20, FAS 70.39/NMRS 48A-JECFA 14/74. NO ADI. NO
1966, NMRS 43/TRS 373-JECFA 10/16
 
31 Jan 06    




    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations
       Tin (ICSC)
       Tin (WHO Food Additives Series 46)
       Tin (WHO Food Additives Series 24)