Out of date chemicals?

[wobblywalker]

Hi folks, I've just found a box that slipped through the house moving net about 10 years ago,it contains unopened tubs of:
calcium sulphate,
calcium carbonate and,
epsom salts.
There was a load of other stuff that common sense said throw in the bin ,however are there any chemists/tech people out there that can give me a solid reason to bin those aswell?
I can remember in the early '80's in the TA Paras the quartermaster found loads of old ration packs from the late 60's......he dished them out, and for a laugh (Oh, the stupidy of youth) we scoffed most of them down,no one was sick,and it made me wonder about best before dates.
can any one put me right here??!!

 

[DocAnna]

As these are each stable chemicals they can last indefinitely, the more likely thing to degrade is the container. Plastic will become brittle over time, metals will oxidise, glass though of course again indefinite. Calcium carbonate is the primary part of limestone - so it really really doesn't go off. Epsom salts are hygroscopic so will absorb water from the air if left uncapped, so in that respect can 'go off'. None of these things support bacterial growth, so yes they'll be fine to use longer than the containers they are in will last.

Anna

 

[wobblywalker]

thanks Anna,
when I broke the sealing tab of off the calcium I noticed it broke like glass,thanks for the info.
All I've got to do now is work out why my typeface is sooooo large'
cheers,
Gary