Can tin exposure during pregnancy cause neural tube defects in babies?

What's actually in it

Tin enters your body mainly through canned food. The inner lining of tin-plated steel cans allows small amounts of tin to leach into food, especially acidic items like tomato sauce, canned fruit, and pickled vegetables. Some food additives and toothpaste also contain tin compounds. Organotin chemicals are used as stabilizers in PVC products.

While tin is generally considered low-toxicity at normal dietary levels, pregnant women may be more vulnerable because the metal crosses the placenta.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Ecotoxicol Environ Saf investigated how excessive tin exposure during pregnancy may cause fetal neural tube defects (NTDs). The researchers mapped the pathway from tin exposure to defective neural tube closure.

Tin interfered with the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway, a critical system that guides neural tube formation in the first weeks of pregnancy. When this pathway is disrupted, the neural tube (which becomes the brain and spinal cord) may not close properly, leading to conditions like spina bifida or anencephaly.

Tin also caused oxidative stress in neural tissue and disrupted folate metabolism, the same protective pathway that folic acid supplements are designed to support.

Moderate canned food consumption is unlikely to cause problems. But during early pregnancy, consider using fresh or frozen alternatives to canned tomatoes and fruits. When you do use canned food, choose cans with BPA-free and tin-free linings (look for coated or lined cans) and don't store leftovers in an open can.