Danger: Lead is entering your body from the sticky rice packet.

You could unknowingly ingest lead and bacteria from newspaper used to wrap sticky rice, food packages, or oil-soaked items.

Lead contamination from newspaper used to wrap sticky rice.

Using newspaper to wrap sticky rice is a common practice among many vendors. It's also a way for vendors to increase their profits by using cheaper materials.

However, even the vendors themselves didn't foresee the dangers posed by the newspaper they were using.

Several studies in China and Taiwan have indicated that the ink used for printing newspapers contains many harmful elements such as ethanol, isopropanol, toluene, and especially PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls).

While drying may reduce their harmful effects, they can still cause serious harm to human health if ingested or inhaled.

Furthermore, another study in Taiwan also warned about the health hazards of heavy metals in newspaper printing ink.

The main components of newspaper are impurities and synthetic chemicals. In addition, the ink used to print newspapers needs to have high adhesion, and it often contains a high concentration of lead.

Because lead is insoluble in water and cannot be oxidized, when it enters our bodies it is stored in organs such as the liver, kidneys, and adipose tissue, causing harm.

According to scientists, there are 0.1–1 mg of lead in 1 kg of newspaper. Meanwhile, the human body becomes poisoned when the amount of lead in the body reaches 0.5–2 mg of lead.

When exposed to high temperatures from hot foods, its toxicity becomes even more dangerous than usual.

However, the widespread use of newspaper to wrap sticky rice and cakes nowadays greatly increases the risk of lead poisoning for those who frequently consume food wrapped in newspaper.

According to Dr. Nguyen Huu Hoan from the Institute of Industrial Chemistry, lead in newspaper used to wrap sticky rice and other food items can potentially cause memory impairment, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea, etc.

Infection from newspaper

Besides concerns about lead contamination from newspapers, the risk of bacterial contamination from newspapers is also quite high, as newspapers travel from the factory to newsstands, through the hands of readers, then to scrap metal collectors, and finally to vendors selling sticky rice and cakes.

Given its long history and numerous uses, it's not surprising that a newspaper sheet can harbor a breeding ground for bacteria that can attack and harm your health.

According to SGGP