On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:22:34 -0700 (PDT), stan
wrote:

Was it not the Romans, whose Emperors thought their empire was forever
and then poisoned themselves with wine sweetened by keeping it in
containers made of lead and often went mad? By contrast the common
folk (plebeians?) who couldn't afford lead and depended on simple
pottery for containers, fortunately, survived.

They did not have tin cans, I think. It was seamen, sailors, and early
explorers of the new world, that needed to store preserved food for
long journeys across the vast oceans.

Lead was used to seal the tin cans. Not like today's Campbell soup
can.