Can Licking Old Hinges Get You Sick?

I read somewhere that one possible reason for good hinges no longer being made is that the old formula was found to be a Cancer risk.

Not sure I should have shared that..

If you're concerned about it, there are lots of ways to moisten stamp hinges without licking them (a moist cotton ball or piece of sponge that you press the hinge to, e.g.)

Codehappy, that is the best suggestion as has been suggested in my previous post and that of many others whenever discussion about hinges comes up.

Don, I would want to wash my hands and keep that Leprosy cover in a protective cover. Was that disease/virus spread just through the contact of one human to another? And what about tuberculosis and aids? If someone licked a hinge would that virus not survive on that item? I would like to hear from someone knowledgable about these infectious deseases.

Edit: just read leperosy can only be transmitted by mucosa or nasal fluid or droplets. They are looking into the possibly of insect spread.

No problem. I reuse old black mounts all the time, and there's no way I'd lick them. (Probably wouldn't actually harm me, but no doubt kinda icky.)

I remember soaking a large quantity of stamps, stuck down on paper, that I had removed from a circa 1880 stamp album. Every time I reached in to grab an item (with tongs, of course) I thought, "just imagine, there's tiny bits of spittle from hundreds of long-dead people dissolved in this stamp soup." The mucilage the collector used to stick the stamps down was way grosser than the spit, though. It was amazing I was able to salvage most of the stamps without deep stains.

Always utilize the Lighthouse hinge sterilization unit prior to licking your hinge.

The Mycobacterium responsible for leprosy is an obligate intracellular parasite that lacks many of the genes necessary for independent survival so its unlikely to cause any harm (not that I would lick it either LOL).

i think some kind of doctor or micro biologist would answer the question of infection risk from old stamps. I remember being told during my Nurse training that the Aids virus only survived eight or nine minutes outside the human body and even then it really needed to be passed from a wound or mucous area (one of your pink bits)directly to a similar area to be sure of passing the infection. Bubonic plague will survive in woollen shrouds or their remains for centuries. What Bacteria or viruses ca nsurvive on the back of licked stamps I don't know, but I've never heard of anyone contracting something from stamps. I have noticed tiny shards on the back of newly soaked old stamps.

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good sense and sound judgment in practical matters.
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Don't lick the brown hinges!

When I was much younger, I tried to re-use some old hinges. There wasn't enough adhesive left to make the hinges useable. Lesson learned.

There are good cures today for Hansen's Disease, also known as leprosy.

I think someone discovered the old Dennison formula contained some arsenic, which I understand has a slightly sweet taste. Can't say if it was enough to do anyone harm though.

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Use a Q-tip, dipped in water, and blotted on a pile of Dunes.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I believe the Dennison hinge formula has become an urban legend among stamp collectors. I have heard the exotic animal fat theory previously, but not the arsenic supposition.

And, timely reminder, don't eat yellow snow.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey