CONSUMING WHITE PAPER & BLUE INK

[RamaMama]

Today we boiled a large pot of cubed squash {3 lbs } in 2 gallons of water .... after the cooking time of about 40 minutes
the squash was drained..... on the bottom of the pot was a mushy piece of white paper, about 3" by 1 1/2" with writing in
blue ink ..... Indelible, I THINK as it did not look faded at all. { It was a grocery list I had written out. }

I tried to find out online, but all I could find was that there are some blue inks that are toxic when consumed..... the babies
will not be eating the paper but I am wondering how much toxic chem could have leached out into the squash.

Could the boiling of the paper and ink in with the squash be toxic for the squirrels?

I need to make squash "balls" ASAP...... so need to know IF I have to Start Over again with another squash.

Thanks.

[TubeDriver]

This is just my opinion. The amount of ink on a 3 inch x 1 1/2 inch scrap of paper is very small. Any substance in the small amount of ink that actually gets into the solution is now diluted with 2 gallons of water. The fact that the ink did not fade suggests that for the most part, it's ingredients did not leech into your squash. Most modern inks are not toxic or or not very toxic. I would certainly eat this squash. My guess is that this will be fine.

However, if you want to be 100% certain, then start over.

What is the brand and type of pen used? What is the paper used? If you can tell me that, I can probably find out if there is anything toxic to worry about. Even if the ink and paper are toxic, it is in such a small quantity that I do not think it would be dangerous.

Today we boiled a large pot of cubed squash {3 lbs } in 2 gallons of water .... after the cooking time of about 40 minutes
the squash was drained..... on the bottom of the pot was a mushy piece of white paper, about 3" by 1 1/2" with writing in
blue ink ..... Indelible, I THINK as it did not look faded at all. { It was a grocery list I had written out. }

I tried to find out online, but all I could find was that there are some blue inks that are toxic when consumed..... the babies
will not be eating the paper but I am wondering how much toxic chem could have leached out into the squash.

Could the boiling of the paper and ink in with the squash be toxic for the squirrels?

I need to make squash "balls" ASAP...... so need to know IF I have to Start Over again with another squash.

Thanks.

[RamaMama]

Hi TubeDriver,

The paper is from a small notepad, the type where you can pull off one piece at a time..... no clue as a name.

On the pen > Promarx ECO RT Clear

Thanks for trying to find out a bit more.

[RamaMama]

I tried to call the Company that makes the pen but they must be closed....

A great concern is that I know Dioxin is released from white paper when it is 'burned' { very VERY toxic } but I do not know if it can be released when paper is boiled....
there is no info I could find....uhhh... Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as pulp and paper bleaching.

Sorry I have bothered every one..... I am just going to have to cook more squash....... there are just too many questions and concerns
and my babies are TOO important to take the possible risk.

An Administrator is Welcome to remove this Thread as it is of little importance at this point.
Thanks

[Diggie's Friend]

Winter squash, an exception to needing to be boiled, is far more nutritious baked than boiled. To prepare, scoop out seeds, and if you intend to feed them, soak and clean them, blot dry of course, and oven bake on low for approx.

Scoop out the baked flesh with either the smaller end of an melon baller using just half the scoop, not balling it, or a level (1/2 Tsp.). Place two each of the f (1/2 Tsp.) portions into each section of an ice cube tray. Then place the ice tray into a sealable bag, and close it down on a straw at the sealing end to suck out the excess air, then removing the straw seal it, Put the bag in the freezer till the day before you are ready to feed squash; take out one cube per squirrel to thaw it overnight in the fridge in a covered container. It should be at least room temperature to feed.

[TubeDriver]

Ballpoint pen ink is not toxic.


I found this from a disease epidemiologist:

The paper is nearly 100% wood-fibre, impossible to digest by the human digestive system. If it was made using a chlorination process, it may contain dioxin from 10-100 ng/kg (parts per trillion). If you ate 2 g of paper per day for life, your increased risk of dying of cancer is about 1.8E-05, or about 20 times more than the 1 in a million level, normally considered the "action level". A single 'snack' of 2 g would not even be measurable.
The inks on the paper can contain carbon black, naphtenic oil, ebonite oil, and pigment flush, but of these, only the carbon black presents a problem in that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are usually (strongly) adsorbed onto the carbon black, but if they remain in that bonding, there is no feasible way for the carbon black to be absorbed from the lumen of the intestine, and therefore the PAH would "pass on through" and be eliminated. Even if the PAHs were detached and absorbed, consuming 2 g/day of the paper for life would barely reach the 1 in a million de minimis risk level.


I am 99% sure you are not risk harming your squirrels. But to be 100% sure, redo it.

I tried to call the Company that makes the pen but they must be closed....

A great concern is that I know Dioxin is released from white paper when it is 'burned' { very VERY toxic } but I do not know if it can be released when paper is boiled....
there is no info I could find....uhhh... Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as pulp and paper bleaching.

Sorry I have bothered every one..... I am just going to have to cook more squash....... there are just too many questions and concerns
and my babies are TOO important to take the possible risk.

An Administrator is Welcome to remove this Thread as it is of little importance at this point.
Thanks

[RamaMama]

Thanks Diggie's Friend. Usually I do bake and I have a batch already "baked" but it is not
enough and need to add more to make enough of the "balls". BUT, I will keep in mind to endeavor to
bake.

[RamaMama]

Thank you TubeDriver..... that is good info.