boroboro
Member
Zing!
Ickis brings up this old thread and says "Ha! You're all wrong!" Fun stuff...
Seriously, though, I like that thought experiment of yours, and think you're on the right track. Wondering about this in the past I've spent a bit of time trying to find real evidence that smell could permeate through solid materials.
There seems to be enough evidence and agreement from many sources that many, even most plastics are permeable to some extent if under 1/4" thick or so. Some industrial processes even use this effect:
http://www.flextank.com.au/PDF_Files/2-Year-Update.pdf
Some plastics like Buna-N nylon, though, may be much less permeable:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP0546220.html
I didn't find much on metals, though, except for a lot of information on hydrogen fuel tank design. Those hydrogen atoms are tiny little buggers just waiting to leak through anything, so it's an interesting place to look for impermeable tank design. Many hydrogen storage tanks use an inner liner of thick plastic to minimize permeability.
Anyway, a tuna can? Weak link is almost definitely in the lid seal, I would wager.
As many of the wise old heads seem to say, stick with freshly sealed packages, vacuum sealing, and thoroughly clean exteriors to the packages.
Ickis brings up this old thread and says "Ha! You're all wrong!" Fun stuff...
Seriously, though, I like that thought experiment of yours, and think you're on the right track. Wondering about this in the past I've spent a bit of time trying to find real evidence that smell could permeate through solid materials.
There seems to be enough evidence and agreement from many sources that many, even most plastics are permeable to some extent if under 1/4" thick or so. Some industrial processes even use this effect:
http://www.flextank.com.au/PDF_Files/2-Year-Update.pdf
Some plastics like Buna-N nylon, though, may be much less permeable:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP0546220.html
I didn't find much on metals, though, except for a lot of information on hydrogen fuel tank design. Those hydrogen atoms are tiny little buggers just waiting to leak through anything, so it's an interesting place to look for impermeable tank design. Many hydrogen storage tanks use an inner liner of thick plastic to minimize permeability.
Anyway, a tuna can? Weak link is almost definitely in the lid seal, I would wager.
As many of the wise old heads seem to say, stick with freshly sealed packages, vacuum sealing, and thoroughly clean exteriors to the packages.
l
