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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Owle, post: 1387108, member: 22004&quot;]I would cite just the toxicity of the zinc used in coins as a potential hazard:</p><p><br /></p><p>[h=2]Poisoning[/h] In 1982, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Mint" rel="nofollow">United States Mint</a> began minting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cent_%28United_States_coin%29" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cent_%28United_States_coin%29" rel="nofollow">pennies</a>&nbsp; coated in copper but made primarily of zinc. With the new zinc pennies,&nbsp; there is the potential for zinc toxicosis, which can be fatal. One&nbsp; reported case of chronic ingestion of 425 pennies (over 1 kg of zinc)&nbsp; resulted in death due to gastrointestinal bacterial and fungal sepsis,&nbsp; while another patient, who ingested 12 grams of zinc, only showed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethargy" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethargy" rel="nofollow">lethargy</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia" rel="nofollow">ataxia</a> (gross lack of coordination of muscle movements).[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-5" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-5" rel="nofollow">[6]</a>[/SUP] Several other cases are reported of humans suffering zinc intoxication by the ingestion of zinc coins.[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-6" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-6" rel="nofollow">[7]</a>[/SUP][SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-7" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-7" rel="nofollow">[8]</a>[/SUP]</p><p>&nbsp;Pennies and other small coins are sometimes ingested by dogs,&nbsp; resulting in the need for medical treatment to remove the foreign body.&nbsp; The zinc content of some coins can also cause zinc toxicity, which is&nbsp; commonly fatal in dogs, where it causes a severe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic_anemia" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic_anemia" rel="nofollow">hemolytic anemia</a>, also liver or kidney damage; vomiting and diarrhoea are possible symptoms.[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-8" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-8" rel="nofollow">[9]</a>[/SUP][SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-9" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-9" rel="nofollow">[10]</a>[/SUP][SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-10" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-10" rel="nofollow">[11]</a>[/SUP] Zinc is highly toxic in parrots and poisoning can often be fatal.[SUP]<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-11" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity#cite_note-11" rel="nofollow">[12]</a></p><p>[/SUP]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, every metal connected to a coin is a potential risk, from the tarnish on silver coins, the copper in pennies, other alloys that are alien to human and animal nutrition.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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