[Nutritional and toxicological study of rats fed a diet containing tin (author's transl)]

A toxicological, nutritional and histological study of rats on a diet containing 0.5 g of tin (Sn Cl2) per 100 g of dry food for one month has been made. By gamma radioactivity measurements (with 113Sn used as a tracer) it is shown that this metal does not practically clear the digestive barrier. Otherwise the classical coefficients of nitrogen nutrition and the urinary parameters (volume, glucose, pH) are not influenced; but the growth of treated animals is obviously slower than control animals because of their reduced ingestion of food. Moreover after one month of treatment a marked anaemia results since the hematocrit and hemoglobin levels are perceptibly reduced. Lastly the histological investigations give evidence of notable irritation of the total gastrointestinal tract. This study, as that of many authors, raises the question of present permissible levels of tin (up to 250 ppm) in foods.