Allergy - newspaper print

Hi @spudmato, I've read a few articles on the ink used in newspapers being toxic but I'm thinking that may have changed over the years. I've also read something about newspaper dust causing allergies. Here's a few articles but I've never heard of a test. I guess one could stay away from them for awhile to see if it helps.

Nasal hyperreactivity to newspapers - PubMed (1989) : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2702511/
Newspaper Allergy: https://hubpages.com/health/Does-Newspaper-Allergy-Exist
Reporter Finds He’s Allergic to Newspaper Ink: https://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2014/05/21/reporter-finds-hes-allergic-to-newspaper-ink/

Are you have an allergic reaction to newspapers?

@spudmato I haven't held a newspaper in a long time. That got too expensive for my budget. But when I did read them daily.. yes, I had reactions. Much like the pollen allergies of runny nose, stuffiness, and headaches.. no sneezing though. If the newspaper had stayed in the delivery box or out in the yard for awhile I had little or no reaction. The same with other printed items like magazines. It seems to matter how much airing out they had before they got to me. I have had more than one doctor to call me “chemical sensitive”. I also have year-round allergies to pollens. I am also allergic to some soaps, lotions, perfumes, air fresheners, scented candles, and cleaning products. No test that I know of for many of them.. just symptoms to go by.

Zee Gee

My wife will suffer migraines from the odor of newspapers, perfume, exhaust, cleaning products, and a myriad of other odors. We even have wood floors to avoid new carpet odors. I believe someone told me newspaper print/ink has a petroleum product in it. But that was some time ago.

Thank you for the comments. I believe that the offending chemical is the pine sap in the ink.
I have no answer except to keep away fro the print.

@mrbill- Hello! I also get reactions from the perfumes in magazines. Years back some magazines were offered in "no smell" but I doubt that they do now. We don't get print papers anymore either.

I react to newspapers/print and glossy magazines and it all connects to my latex sensitivity. Newspaper ink and paper are often coated with latex to make it more resistant to dampness and gloss in magazines uses latex for the same reason. If this is your problem there are also many foods you need to avoid like bananas, avocado, Mellon and the list goes on. Natural latex has a protein shared by many other foods so if you are sensitive to latex you are advised to google it and learn more about what to avoid.