Editing Penny (United States coin) (section)

===Toxicity===
{{More|Zinc toxicity|Copper toxicity}}
Zinc, a major component of U.S. cents minted after mid-1982, is toxic in large quantities. Swallowing such a coin, which is 97.5% zinc, can cause damage to the stomach lining because of the high solubility of the zinc ion in the acidic stomach.<ref>Dawn N. Bothwell, M.D., and Eric A. Mair, M.D., FAAP. "[http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/111/3/689?ijkey=f41f5a688254663281baabc6ebe9c3bfc964e612&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha Chronic Ingestion of a Zinc-Based Penny]", ''[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]]'' Vol. 111, No. March 3, 2003, pp. 689–691. Retrieved April 17, 2008.</ref> Coins are the most commonly ingested foreign body in children but generally are allowed to pass spontaneously unless the patient is symptomatic.<ref>Mark L. Waltzman, M.D. "[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16969175 Management of esophageal coins]" ''Current Opinion in Pediatrics'' Vol. 45, No. Jan 1–Feb 2006, pp.71–3. Retrieved February 23, 2010.</ref> Zinc toxicity, mostly in the form of the ingestion of U.S. pennies minted after 1982, is commonly fatal in dogs where it causes a severe [[hemolytic anemia]].<ref>Stowe CM, Nelson R, Werdin R, et al.: "Zinc phosphide poisoning in dogs". ''JAVMA'' 173:270, 1978</ref> It is also highly toxic in [[companion parrot|pet parrots]] and can often be fatal.<ref>See, for example, this [http://www.petparrots101.com/parrots-risk.asp list of common parrot illnesses and their causes]</ref>