Safe to drink?

[iamacup]

Hi Folks,
Did another brew with a dry hop and had a little surprise. I used a bolt from my little box of nuts and bolts to weigh down the hop bag as last time I found it sat on top of the top of the brew. When I bottled and retrieved the hop bag the bolt was completely stripped from shiny to raw dull metal. This, I was not expecting. Now I can't find another one of these exact bolts to compare to and look at the coating, but I presume it was electroplated zinc.

Now, I am not a metallurgist, a biologist, a doctor, or a chemist so, does anyone know if this is safe to drink?

I really have no clue on this one, so what do others think?

images of the bolt attached for info.

 

[livo]

No. As with any food, only certain materials can be used. Dump it.

Buy yourself a $2 bag of kids marbles or some ornamental glass pot plant beads from Bunnings. Otherwise use stainless steel only.

 

[dkril]

Electroplated zinc has quite a dull finish.

Do you want to find out what chemical brighteners were used on that bolt?

 

[iamacup]

No. As with any food, only certain materials can be used. Dump it.

Buy yourself a $2 bag of kids marbles or some ornamental glass pot plant beads from Bunnings. Otherwise use stainless steel only.

I'd presumed this would be the correct answer given the question. After reading this I remember I have a back of glass beads from other craft projects.
Damn.

Electroplated zinc has quite a dull finish.

Do you want to find out what chemical brighteners were used on that bolt?

This sounds like a very loaded question
But, yes.

 

[yankinoz]

Zinc alone would be no concern. Normal daily intake in diets is well over 10 mgs. Some people take OTC daily supplements containing >20 mg. Zinc is in some yeast nutrients.

But what else was on the bolt? Probably nothing harmful, but better safe than sorry unless you find out. For example, cadmium from plating or steel would be high;y toxic.

 

[Eddy Monsoon]

Zinc helps combat popular respiratory ailments...........

Have you considered that it hasn't been stripped at all, but now has an extra coating of hop oil or dead yeast etc ?

Certainly won't kill you so don't dump it.

If it turns out to taste bad, C'est la vie, but I doubt it

 

[MHB]

If it was just Zinc and the beer tasted OK (Zn can taste very metallic at quite low concentrations) I wouldn’t be too worried.
The big proviso being if it was just Zn plating, some anti corrosion coatings contain Nickel and worse still Cadmium neither of which you want in your diet. Unless I was very confident that the coating was pure Zn I wouldn’t take the punt - a tipper for mine.
Mark

 

[raybies]

Your brew probably had a pH of 5, this will dull galivinized steal quickly I can provide photos to prove it.
Perfectly safe to drink... unless it was all in a shot glass and even then would maybe just give you some stomach rumbles.

 

[MHB]

I would hope his beer was a lot closer to 4pH than 5pH. I think from the picture the plating has been totally dissolved off so it’s all in the beer.
Other than that I would still dump it, the safe limit for Cadmium in water is something like 5ppb (.005mg/L) and it’s a cumulative heavy metal toxin.
I got exposed to Cd dust whilst restoring a 1920's statue, they used Cd as an under plate (who knew) couple of months of taking tablets and peeing blue, took nearly a year for my fingernails to grow back... Best avoided!
Mark

 

[Eddy Monsoon]

couple of months of taking tablets and peeing blue,

Saves money on toilet blocks

 

[livo]

There is a very good rule on another site I have visited. Only 2 main metals are allowed, being copper and stainless steel. (I've broken that rule and used pickled brass). Only lead free or silver solder can be safely used. The only other materials allowed are glass and 1 plastic, being teflon. I personally would not have used the bolt in the first place, but now that it's done, blue piss and lost fingernails doesn't sound like too big a price to pay.

 

[iamacup]

I have followed the cautious side of the advice and dumped it all out today. It smelled like blood tastes, so I don't think it was going to win any medals even if I kept my fingernails. Thanks all

 

[MHB]

From the Complete Beer Fault Guide
Very Handy
Mark

 

[Eddy Monsoon]

I have followed the cautious side of the advice and dumped it all out today. It smelled like blood tastes, so I don't think it was going to win any medals even if I kept my fingernails. Thanks all

C'est la vie