# Heavy metals still in U.S. newsprint?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 6, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187 "2016-09-06T14:44:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dglevy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@dglevy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dglevy)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187/1 "2016-09-06T14:44:08Z")

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Hi all!

I did some online research on the question of whether there are still heavy metals in newsprint in the usa. I couldn’t get a definitive answer. If someone can help me out, I’d appreciate it.

Here’s what I’ve found out thus far:

> **[Is Newspaper Safe for Your Garden? - The Permaculture Research Institute](https://www.permaculturenews.org/2016/03/14/is-newspaper-safe-for-your-garden/)**
>
> There is an ongoing debate in the agricultural world concerning the safety, or lack thereof, of news

\<\<In short, it states “regarding the use of newspaper and cardboard, both can be useful materials used in organic crop production for suppressing weeds, retaining moisture and adding organic matter to your soil. Nop regulations allow the use of newspaper or other recycled paper as an ‘allowed synthetic’ with the provision that it be ‘without glossy or colored inks’”\>\>

So that’s good. On the other hand, it appears that the move away from toxic ingredients in newsprint was voluntary, not government mandated:  
\<\<In the past, newspaper ink was largely composed of heavy metals such as lead, and other toxic materials like cadmium. However, because of the toxicity of these materials the newspaper association of america began searching for safer bases for newspaper inks. After lengthy studies and trials, soybean oil was found as the solution.\>\>

So, as far as i’m concerned, the jury’s still out. If someone can give me the straight dope, they would be a hero, in my eyes!

–David Levy

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**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187/2 "2016-09-06T15:54:50Z")

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15 years ago the Chicago Tribune told readers that [all its color inks were soybean-based](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-11-11/news/0111110385_1_flint-ink-color-ink-soybean-oil) although there was still some petroleum in black inks.

And here’s another cite to [color vs. black ink](http://www.pneac.org/sheets/litho/inks.cfm).

Permaculture says that soybean inks are good, especially for colored ink, and that most newspaper inks are soybean, so it never really explains why newspapers should be “without colored or glossy inks.”

Really, because there’s no single “newspaper ink” the only way to know for sure is to call your local newspaper and ask them what type of inks they use.

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**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187/3 "2016-09-06T21:08:41Z")

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We were taught in horticultural classes that the printers unions had gotten all harmful stuff out of the inks and paper. This should be believable because a printer might be more exposed to more in a week than a Gardner would be in a lifetime. I took these classes in the 1960s. Much printing now is probably done in non-union shops. Is it still cheaper for the non-union shop to buy the union approved inks and paper as we were told it was back then?

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187/4 "2016-09-06T21:13:28Z")

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AFAIK, all newspapers in the US and most of the rest of the world have gone to soy-based inks. Some made the change quite a few years ago. The problem was that the paper stocks of the era didn’t like the higher moisture content, and so wrinkled, and so had to be changed out, and led indirectly to the demise of the full broadsheet paper and to the narrow format nearly all use today.

You just can’t do the good “Dad hiding behind the paper” without those full-size sheets…

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heavy-metals-still-in-u-s-newsprint/765187/5 "2016-09-06T22:51:28Z")

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> [@kunilou](#):
>
> Permaculture says that soybean inks are good, especially for colored ink, and that most newspaper inks are soybean, so it never really explains why newspapers should be “without colored or glossy inks.”

Possibly they are referring to (or confused with) glossy, coated paper, which is/was a problem in recycling programs, and would be slower to decompose in a composting program.