Exposure Due To Shredding Paper?

[Janerie]

Hi all,

 

I've just conducted a search on this and didn't find much; thanks in advance for your knowledge.

 

After conducting a massive paper-shredding campaign last evening, I woke up with my typical "accidentally glutened" reaction this morning. I've reviewed everything I could have possibly ingested (at least intentionally) yesterday and it was all was gluten-free.

 

My question: Does paper contain gluten -- and if so, could I have been contaminated from all the dust floating around (and/or from the dust on my hands)?

 

I suppose, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter -- though if paper shredding is a potential hazard, I'll be sure to leave that job to someone else in the future! :-)

 

Cheers,

Jane

[kareng]

Normal paper shouldn't have gluten in it.  There might be some fancy artisan paper with wheat and who knows what, but regular bank statements are going to be on the cheapest wood pulp paper & printed with the cheapest available.

 

If you just want to have someone else do the job..... You could use that as an excuse I guess. 

[Adalaide]

I used to work in some factories, which as you can imagine are pretty dusty places. I would always end a shift blowing my nose and ending up with tissues full of dark, dusty snot. I would cough up the same stuff. I'm not suggesting there is gluten in paper, but just because of the amount of dust a large shredding job would kick into the air I would wear a mask. I wouldn't want to be breathing in all that nastiness.

 

I really can't imagine under what circumstances a paper company would use any wheat or gluten product in paper. I've never even seen any when I shop for fancy stationary, like the hand made, hand dyed, textured paper type stationary that some morons pay through the nose for. (But it makes such beautiful handwritten letters!) The most common thing I see paper made from when it isn't wood is hemp, but it would have to be a plant that could stand up to the process and I just don't imagine our three arch nemeses doing so.

[Janerie]

Thanks all, this is helpful!

[JNBunnie1]

The only thing I could think of that might affect you would be, what was the paper

used for? I worked in an office where people ate at their desks all day long and

put their grubby fingers all over the papers. I wouldn't imagine that a situation like

that could lead to anything being airborne, but maybe paperwork from a bakery

or something might have enough flour on it?   I dunno that's all I got