When you open a can, do you actually eat the tiny micro particules of metal left by the opening process?

Question

And if we do swallow some of the metal particules, is it very dangerous for our system?

Answer 1

If it were to be very dangerous you'd think they would find another way of giving food to you besides in a can, right?

Answer 2

It's possible some tiny fragments of the can may go in the food, but even if that's true (which it likely isn't), the metal isn't harmful. Cans aren't made out of harmful metals like lead, but rather stable, safe ones like tin and steel (which is mostly iron, which our bodies actually need to be healthy).

Don't listen to the nutjobs who say otherwise unless they can produce peer-reviewed, scientific studies which clearly show the dangers of eating canned foods.

Answer 3

Nano-particles are being used much more widely in our everyday lives, from sun screens to frying pans.  The long term effects of these tiny particles is not fully understood, but some people believe that when inhaled they can cause lung cancer, emphysema and many other health problems.

As for swallowing nano particles, you will still run a risk of them being absorbed into your blood stream.  Once in your blood it is possible for them to accumulate in any organ.  The affects of this are not well understood, but health risks are sure to ensue.  

All in all, I am not concerned enough to stop eating canned foods and beverages, and I wouldn't suggest for you to begin panicking either.

Answer 4

Most of the time, probably not.  But sure it has to happen eventually.  By the way, these aren't 'nanoparticles', they're just bits of junk.  

It's not a problem.  We now live in a much cleaner and more fastidious world than our bodies were designed to handle.  Fairly often the food our ancestors ate contained a fair amount of dirt, which contains metals, and worse.   What you can digest, you do, what you can't digest gets dumped out the other end.  Something you eat is only a problem if it's pointy, big enough to block up the works, or can be absorbed and is toxic.  (Both are necessary - you can drink snake venom without harm because it doesn't get absorbed, it has to be injected, by the snake, to be harmful).    Actually, if the metal contains iron, or something else you need, you might even get a very small amount of benefit from it.