Food cans

Does anyone have experience, information, opinions, etc. on the
conservation of tin cans of foodstuffs? I am particularly interested
in the issues surrounding the potential for these cans to present
biological hazards. Presently I have a few fruit and soup cans which
were placed in a freezer three years ago, which caused them to
expand and bulge and I expect them to corrode along stressed areas
if they are removed and thawed. If the foodstuffs will present a
potential hazard, what are the risks to staff and how do we dispose
of the contents? Are the hazards associated with all canned foods or
are only meats a problem? These cans were produced c1915. Having
come across the problem of corroding cans of food in the past, I'm
looking for information not only on frozen material and not only of
this period in canning history.

Gretchen Voeks
Conservator
Western Archeological and Conservation Center
National Park Service
Tucson, Arizona

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                 Conservation DistList Instance 10:101
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 15, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-101-017
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