NY Times & US--Carbon Footprint not Worth it!!!

There are over 3 million tons of waste newspaper generated annually in Pennsylvania alone. This provides a significant disposal problem for many municipalities who are confronted with dwindling options for solid waste disposal. Previous studies have identified several of the potential advantages of the material as a bedding material for livestock. With over 1 million beef and dairy cattle in the state, the potential use of newspaper as bedding is important. Of concern, however, is the effect of the chemical composition of the paper on animals which have the opportunity to consume it, and subsequent entry of undesirable residues into the food chain. Metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and copper are known to exist in relatively high quantities in newsprint from the ink used in printing. Naphthalene and other aromatic hydrocarbons which are found in coal tar and synthetic and natural crude oils are known to accumulate in marine life and are absorbed by humans after consumption. A preliminary report indicated beef steers bedded on newspaper did consume varying amounts of the material. Few studies have determined if residues of heavy metals or organic compounds are found in the carcasses of animals continuously bedded on newspaper. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and certain aromatic hydrocarbons in the blood and liver of feedlot cattle bedded continuously on waste newspaper or sawdust. 4 refs., 3 tabs.
US Dept of Energy--1992
Arsenic?

Newspapers and Newspaper Ink Contain Agonists for the Ah Receptor
Jessica E. S. Bohonowych*, Bin Zhao*, Alicia Timme-Laragy, Dawoon Jung, Richard T. Di Giulio and Michael S. Denison*,1
* Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, California 95616 Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences/Integrated Toxicology Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708
Received November 6, 2007; accepted December 20, 2007. Our identification of AhR agonists in crude extracts from diverse materials raises questions as to the magnitude and extent of human exposure to AhR ligands through normal daily activities. We have found that solvent extracts of newspapers from countries around the world stimulate the AhR signaling pathway. AhR agonist activity was observed for dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethanol, and water extracts of printed newspaper, unprinted virgin paper, and black printing ink, where activation of luciferase reporter gene expression was transient, suggesting that the AhR active chemical(s) was metabolically labile. DMSO and ethanol extracts also stimulated AhR transformation and DNA binding, and also competed with [3H]TCDD for binding to the AhR. In addition, DMSO extracts of printed newspaper induced cytochrome P450 1A associated 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity in zebrafish embryos in vivo. Although the responsible bioactive chemical(s) remain to be identified, our results demonstrate that newspapers and printing ink contain relatively potent metabolically labile agonists of the AhR. Given the large amount of recycling and reprocessing of newspapers throughout the world, release of these easily extractable AhR agonists into the environment should be examined and their potential effects on aquatic organisms assessed