Contaminated cardboard boxes???

[rhapsody]

My kiddos absolutely adore cardboard boxes, so I make an effort to save cartons, cereal boxes, and whatnot for them to play with. I've always known that most of the boxes are made from recycled paper, and it never occurred to me that it'd be a problem.

HOWEVER, I just ran across this article: "Recycled cereal boxes contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing mineral oils" - granted, this article was featured in The Daily Mail which isn't exactly the bastion of excellent reporting.

Is this worth worrying about? While my kids don't actually eat the cardboard, a lot passes through their mouths since they enjoy shredding it. If leaked oils can contaminate food to a dangerous level for humans, wouldn't direct contact for a rat be even more serious?

 

[Kibble]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4abk9fd_lR4

Don't believe anything you read in the Daily Mail!

I've seen rats eat grout with no apparent ill-effects. I don't think recycled boxes will hurt them.

 

[ametropia]

Rats by nature are scavengers.. the things they eat in the wild and live to tell the tale would probably shock you. Not that I'm suggesting that's the way a pet-rat should live, nor am I taking into account the difference between wild rats and fancy rats, but the point is, I don't think the cereal box is going to be a huge concern.

We buy a lot of canned soda so I give them the box from that. Never even thought of the cereal boxes.. good idea!

I also agree about taking what you see in the Daily Mail with a grain of salt. Not to mention for just about any substance on earth you can find reports of it being good AND bad.. so I guess if I felt concerned myself (which I don't) I'd just do my research from several sources and make the decision after that on what is appropriate and what isn't.

Half of the ingredients in everything you and your family eats could probably be linked to cancer if you look hard enough for research to support it :lol:

Anyway, I don't really think there's much to worry about, though.

 

[rhapsody]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4abk9fd_lR4

:laugh4: Oh my, that vid was a hoot!

I'm a bit ashamed to say that I frequent The Daily Mail for the most recent royal wedding scoop than for actual news. When I couldn't find any other non-tabloid news source about the dangers of cardboard, I kinda figured that it was a "get your knickers in a twist" sort of article ...