Newspaper contains ....

[plumsmum2005]

Something else to think about 'boats

• Newspapers and cardboard boxes used for packaged foods are made of recycled paper that may be contaminated with harmful chemicals like diisobutyl phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate which can cause digestive problems and also lead to severe toxicity.
• Recycled paper also has printing ink residues trapped from previous prints. These trapped residues have found to contain hormone disruptors like benzophenones and mineral oils.

"Xenoestrogens have been shown to cause disease in people and lab animals that include cancer, diabetes, obesity, infertility in females, decreased fertility in males, the change in sex ratio (decreasing number in males) in a population metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels - that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes."


This brings it very close to home for me.

​

 

[SailBoat]

Reading this morning that newsprint and newspaper contains dioxin and should not be used if a bird can reach it and chew ie on cage bottom/grate. Help!

Anyone know of a source of safe plain paper that can be used instead?

I'm having some concerns regarding the information sourcing and reasoning of that sourcing, 'NOT the OP,' but whoever had put together the story. There is no question that Dioxin are dangerous. In fact, Dioxin is a member of the “dirty dozen” group of dangerous chemicals. That said, the source story should have provided some documented (statement) as to the reality that Dioxins are a dangerous 'background' chemical group that is very common in soils and commonly concentrates in plants (which includes trees) and animals that eats plants. And with animals, most commonly Dioxins collects in the fats of animals.

Dioxins are truly dangerous and common takes 7 up to 11 years for the Human to expel them. So, any source, natural or concentrated by industrial is a concern. The real question become 'How Much!' Does the News Paper and the Ink used contain a greater amount than is naturally part of the background source of the products used?

Article in Parrots Magazine Issue 237 Oct 2017 page 16/17 relating to avoiding Xenoestrogens, main body of article by Leslie Moran.
Additional input by Dave Catudal?

I wasnt previously worried by newspaper but Plum has taken to ripping and eating with his meals for some daft reason?

The information given about inks used doesnt take into consideration the ingestion by a parrot, why would it LOL.

Thank-you Plum for yet again driving Mom crazy!

Every Amazon that has 'owned' our home has tore Newspaper. But none have made it part of they food intake.

Since, Dioxin naturally exists within trees, which is used to make paper, Dioxins exist in all paper products. It comes to the level of concentration within one type of product over another. As a 'general statement' the whiter the paper, the more chemicals are needed to make that happen.

I have had and continue to have issue with such articles that with the hope of keeping our Parrots Safer only confuse the subject by picking and choosing from studies to make their point. Raising the flag about one product and not the family of products only results in confusion.

It would appear that Plum has now assure that paper will be restricted!

FYI, And, with your most recent Post - That Did It, I will No Longer Eat Paper!!!! No Matter How Much Salt They Put On It! Smile Face Inserted Here

Also, its Friday and time for a cold beer, a drawn pint would be nice about now!

 

[Inger]

Not sure how this compares in price to the kraft paper, but this is what I've been using and it's super convenient and I love it:

Bird Cage Liners

 

[plumsmum2005]

Thanks Inger yes I am on the case so to speak. Plum has been put on newspaper eating notice LOL.

@ SailBoat - Sendin' that pint right along 'boats!

"And, with your most recent Post - That Did It, I will No Longer Eat Paper!!!! No Matter How Much Salt They Put On It! Smile Face Inserted Here"

Would that be whilst wearing a Stetson LOL?

 

[Katu]

I think I'll stick with the kraft paper. It's priced locally at $22 per 500ft roll. We don't get any newspapers delivered at all. Puppy pads are expensive. Cage liners are expensive. We also don't get ANY phonebooks anymore. Haha. Oh, and the local newspaper (which we don't get) will only SELL roll ends, and they are more expensive than kraft, and are wide width. Everything is pretty expensive here. I don't know what it's like in the UK.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Ha ha, we don't get called the rip off Isle for nothing!

 

[Flboy]

Reading this morning that newsprint and newspaper contains dioxin and should not be used if a bird can reach it and chew ie on cage bottom/grate.

Help!

Anyone know of a source of safe plain paper that can be used instead?

I'm having some concerns regarding the information sourcing and reasoning of that sourcing, 'NOT the OP,' but whoever had put together the story. There is no question that Dioxin are dangerous. In fact, Dioxin is a member of the “dirty dozen” group of dangerous chemicals. That said, the source story should have provided some documented (statement) as to the reality that Dioxins are a dangerous 'background' chemical group that is very common in soils and commonly concentrates in plants (which includes trees) and animals that eats plants. And with animals, most commonly Dioxins collects in the fats of animals.

Dioxins are truly dangerous and common takes 7 up to 11 years for the Human to expel them. So, any source, natural or concentrated by industrial is a concern. The real question become 'How Much!' Does the News Paper and the Ink used contain a greater amount than is naturally part of the background source of the products used?

Article in Parrots Magazine Issue 237 Oct 2017 page 16/17 relating to avoiding Xenoestrogens, main body of article by Leslie Moran.
Additional input by Dave Catudal?

I wasnt previously worried by newspaper but Plum has taken to ripping and eating with his meals for some daft reason?

The information given about inks used doesnt take into consideration the ingestion by a parrot, why would it LOL.

Can I bother you with a few questions on the lottery?

 

[Kentuckienne]

Some background info for non-chemists: dioxins are members of a specific group of chlorinated cyclic organic compounds. These compounds are formed when certain organic compounds react with chlorine. These organic compounds aren't something from Whole Foods, but rings of carbon and hydrogen, in this case also having chlorine atoms attached. Dioxins are formed during garbage incineration, and as by-products from assorted industrial reactions involving chlorine. Ok, end of nerdy part.

As part of my work involves book and paper conservation, I've studied up a little on paper production through the ages. Old paper was made mostly from cloth rags, and was naturally white and strong, and was not bleached other than maybe being laid out in the sun to whiten. Our parrots would have been perfectly safe with that paper.

As demand for paper grew, it outpaced the supply of rags. People learned to make paper from wood fiber. The wood is ground up and soaked, then beaten with mechanical beaters to separate it into fibers. The fibers are washed and made into paper. Wood contains lignin, which doesn't wash out of the fibers at this early stage of processing. The wood pulp fibers, containing lignin, are used to make newsprint and the inner part of corrugated boxes. Lignin weakens paper and causes it to darken over time so it's not good for high end uses but works fine for newsprint and for the inside of cardboard - that kind of paper doesn't have to be white or strong.

Takeaway: newsprint itself is very safe in terms of dioxin content.

The next steps are usually called the Kraft process and involve treating the pulp with bleach and other chemicals to whiten it, remove the lignin, and other complicated things to make the pale white and strong. Depending on the use, paper might get a clay coating to make a smooth surface for glossy printing, sizing for rigidity and strength, etc. and all papers made from this treated, whitened pulp will contain some level of dioxin. Every EPA and other study I've seen says these levels are safe.

Things that use LOTS of this white paper pulp include paper towels, diapers, and sanitary pads.

The dioxin is generall not a hazard unless it gets into the body. There are two ways this can happen. It might dissolve in water, like when you wipe up spilled water with a paper towel. But it isn't in contact with your hand long enough to get through your skin, usually. Wait, what about liquid that stays in contact with the body, like pee in a diaper? Good question. Manufacturers have taken great strides to reduce contaminant levels for these uses, and it might be true because I don't see Pampers getting sued up the yin yang.

The other way you can pick them up is by skin contact, usually some oil on the skin. The oil or water needs to penetrate the paper, dissolve the dioxins, then carry them through the skin. This is considered a fairly low risk.

My interpretation of all this is that newsprint is very safe for parrots to chew. As paper moves up the whiteness/strength scale it picks up traces of dioxin. This includes that brown kraft paper - the stuff in rolls and on the outside of corrugated paper - as well as white printer paper and the like. My opinion is that this paper is also pretty safe for parrots as long as they aren't ingesting it. Paper in water bowl is most likely to be bad, paper eaten by birds can leach chemicals into the bird. Most parrots have dry tongues and dry feathers so probably don't pick up much, if any, dioxins from paper. This is my fairly educated opinion and I haven't done any personal tests with a mass spectrometer, and I think the official government studies saying levels of dioxin in paper are safe are likely correct.

Synopsis: don't let your parrot dunk paper in his water dish, eat paper, or sit on wet paper. Plain newsprint is safest and hardly any risk at all. Brown kraft paper isn't much different from white paper, and both are reasonably safe for parrots to rip up as long as they don't eat it. Chemicals such as chromium in ink - that's another story.

 

[plumsmum2005]

My goodness what a lot of words .... I definitely subscribe to less is more.

 

[plumsmum2005]

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/47208-re-usable-cage-liners-how-diy-tutorial.html

Thanks Kiwibird I think I am going to use your instructions to make some.

 

[Kentuckienne]

My goodness what a lot of words .... I definitely subscribe to less is more.

The few words would be: "Newsprint is perfectly safe. Dioxin levels increase in this order: brown kraft, bleached white paper, white paper pulp used in things like puppy pads, sanitary napkins and diapers. Even the highest likely levels in the latter products are still safe. Just don't let your bird eat the paper or dunk it in the drinking water."

Why should anybody believe what I say, when I'm not a published parrot expert?

I am a paper expert and know what I'm talking about. But you shouldn't believe me just because I say so. Trust, but verify. And if there is a factual or logical error, point it out. I'm ok with being corrected - truth is more important than ego.

The rest of the words are my supporting evidence and reasoning. Anyone interested in learning the truth can use that info as a springboard for further research. Just because a "fact" is repeated many times doesn't make it true. Evidence is what makes it true.

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” - Christopher Hitchens

 

[Kentuckienne]

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/47208-re-usable-cage-liners-how-diy-tutorial.html

Thanks Kiwibird I think I am going to use your instructions to make some.

Be sure not to wash these with other laundry. Same warning as with diapers - the wash cycle doesn't disinfect and will distribute pathogens and molecules of poop throughout the fibers of the other items. Most washing instructions even call for washing human underwear separately from dish towels to prevent spread of e-coli to the towels....to the spoon...back to the digestive tract.

 

[Flboy]

http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/47208-re-usable-cage-liners-how-diy-tutorial.html

Thanks Kiwibird I think I am going to use your instructions to make some.

Be sure not to wash these with other laundry. Same warning as with diapers - the wash cycle doesn't disinfect and will distribute pathogens and molecules of poop throughout the fibers of the other items. Most washing instructions even call for washing human underwear separately from dish towels to prevent spread of e-coli to the towels...to the spoon...back to the digestive tract.

Recycling at its best!

 

[plumsmum2005]

That is better, less is more!

Don't think this washes "truth is more important than ego"

Thanks for the insinuating that I am a complete dumb ass regards washing!

 

[Kentuckienne]

That is better, less is more!

Don't think this washes "truth is more important than ego"

Thanks for the insinuating that I am a complete dumb ass regards washing!

Ummm...the advice wasn't directed at you, but for anybody who might follow the link to the make-your-own-cage-liner post and decide to give it a go. Have known people who DID wash bird poop with the regular laundry. It's not intuitive...bird's can carry pathogens that can be transmitted to humans, and that's one way it can happen.

Sign in a Japanese hotel room: "If you are not kind of person to do such things, please not to read this sign."