Debra Lynn Dadd

Eating Off Paper Towels?

QUESTION:

Do you have any research on the safety of eating off paper towels??

POSTED BY RICH :: TEXAS USA :: 09/11/2006 9:26 AM

DEBRA'S ANSWER:

There are two chemicals of concern in paper towels. The first is formaldehyde, which is used for wet strength of the paper, and the other is dioxin, which may be present from the bleaching of the paper.

Dioxin is an extremely toxic chemical and has been found to leach into foods such as milk from bleached paper cartons. Formaldehyde is a volatile chemical that can be released into the air and absorbed by other materials.

I couldn't find any research that shows how much dioxin or formaldehyde is emitted from paper towels or absorbed by food that has been sitting on them for a few minutes. My opinion is that if the food is simply sitting on the towel for a few minutes, it is probably absorbing very little of either chemical. But my best recommendation would be to use a plate instead.

If you are going to use paper towels, it's better to use the unbleached brown towels. There is more info on choosing paper towels in Green Seal's Choose Green Report on Bathroom Tissue and Paper Towels.

Debra :-)

COMMENTS:

would paper plates have similar issues, as the paper towels?

thanks..

POSTED BY WT :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 09/13/2006 7:03 PM

According to a Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet on Formaldehyde, "formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of grocery bags, paper cups and plates, waxed paper, facial tissues, napkins, paper towels, and sanitary napkins," so yes, what I said about paper towels applies to all these other products as well.

POSTED BY DEBRA LYNN DADD :: DEBRA LYNN DADD :: WWW.DLD123.COM :: FLORIDA USA :: 09/14/2006 4:10 AM

Personally I would be more concerned about the amount of waste you're creating by using paper towels instead of just regular plates. Yes, plates need to be washed, but over the whole lifetime of the plate I think the resources used to wash it are a lot less than to create an equivalent amount of paper towels.

POSTED BY JESSICA :: TEXAS USA :: 09/20/2006 12:59 PM

hello....scary about using paper towels! I cover my cup of hot water with a paper towel when it is in the microwave to heat for tea! Should I quit using them? Thanks B

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: I wouldn't use paper towels for this purpose. The exposure would be small, but better to eliminate exposures where you can. (But, I don't use a microwave oven either.)

POSTED BY BEC MCGRATH :: INDIANA USA :: 10/03/2006 4:12 PM

what about eating paper towels? i wanted to get some cellulose.

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: I wouldn't eat a paper towel. All plant foods contain cellulose, so munch on any vegetable or fruit instead.

POSTED BY LG :: FLORIDA USA :: 11/04/2006 10:26 AM

What about composting paper plates and paper towels? I have been reading about suggestions to do so... If there are chemicals in these products, that can't be right, can it?

Thank you...

Maureen

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: There's a whole discussion about this at http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0212423613807.html. The general consensus from gardeners is "go ahead."

To answer you question specifically, I wouldn't compost something with a lot of chemicals in it or heavy metals, but soil will break down small amounts of chemicals.

If gardeners are doing it and having success growing plants, well, the proof is in the pudding...

POSTED BY MAUREEN :: NEW YORK USA :: 04/21/2008 3:52 PM

I would like to try some tofu recipes and I have read many times that it is best to drain the water from the container that the tofu comes in and then place the tofu on paper towels with a weight on top to take out more liquid. I have noticed lately that paper towels do not smell too great and wondered if it would be a safe thing to place the tofu on them. Wouldn't the tofu pick up anything that was bad from the towels especially if the tofu was being pressed into the towel. I have seen other demonstrations where paper towels have been used to wipe food for one reason or another as if the paper towel is quite safe. How safe to do this extracting water with a cloth napkin after it has been in a community washing machine. Any healthy suggestions to press the tofu?

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: Tofu would pick up anything that is bad from the paper towel, especially if it was being pressed. As I mentioned above, paper towels contain formaldehyde to give the paper wet strength and also dioxin in bleached paper towels. Of course, paper towels with printed designs would also have inks. Recycled paper towels would not have dioxin from bleaching but may contain traces of other chemicals that may have been present on the paper being recycled, like printing inks.

Paper towels, I believe, are made for the purpose of wiping and cleaning. I don't know if they are actually considered food safe, even though a lot of people use them around food. Paper napkins are made about the same way and would have all the issues I mentioned above. Again, I think paper napkins are made for wiping lips externally and may not be food safe. I don't know. I'd make a few phone calls, but it is 6:25 in the morning...

My opinion is that well-washed cotton towels would be much safer and reusable. My only concern about the community washing machine would be what type of detergents others are using and if any residues that may end up in your towel are removed.

I wash my cotton kitchen towels in natural SoapNuts, and have no hesitation using them in food preparation.

But I also need to say that I don't recommend tofu in the first place. There are a lot of health problems associated with soy (see The Whole Soy Story).

POSTED BY SAPHIRE :: CALIFORNIA USA :: 06/16/2009 6:34 AM

HI Debra, and thanks for this post which is very helpful.
Here's another related questions on paper products.
Is it not safe then, (after reading above comments on dioxin and formaldehyde) to use paper towels or paper napkins at all, for general dining purposes? Many people use paper towels now, (the kind that is perforated so you only use half of it) when eating. Sounds as if merely wiping your face with any of these would be very toxic, at least over time. And if, after using them, a person licks his or her lips, wouldn't that be unsafe as well? If the brown paper towels are better, I will be sure to tell my family. Just wondering about those most used, the bleached ones, using them on the face.....
Thank you very much for any further advice on these:
Kathryn

COMMENT FROM DEBRA: Wiping one's fingers or face for a few seconds is not a significant exposure. It's not the same as having extended contact with the paper for days or weeks, as in food packaging.

POSTED BY KATHRYN :: VIRGINIA USA :: 08/24/2009 5:20 PM

:: POST YOUR COMMENT

Return to Q&A Blog

Debra's List ~ 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural & earthwise products
Debra's Free Newsletters ~ website update, natural sweetener recipes, words of wisdom
Debra's Bookstore ~ recommended reading on health and the environment
MCS Recovery ~ resources for recovery from multiple chemical sensitivities
Sweet Savvy ~ how to choose and use natural sweetners (lots of recipes)
Talk With Debra ~ call for a personal consultation (fee)