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Thank you to everyone who responded to my query
about starch in paper and possible reactions.
I feel that I might be more likely to have problems handling gluten
when my skin is already broken.  The problem is probably a combination
of factors.

Below is a summary of my quick research on the web and list
member's contributions.

Stephen
....................
I found the following by scanning info on the net


In 1995, approximately 60 percent of the
4 billion pounds of natural adhesives produced and consumed in the
United States were derived from starch, primarily corn and wheat
starch.

To address the public's concern regarding disposability,
biodegradable loose-fill packaging products are being developed and
manufactured from corn and wheat starch, and are a growing portion of
the loose-fill packaging market.  In most cases, starch-based,
loose-fill products are 100-percent biodegradable, with the exception
of products that contain nondegradable additives.  Most starch-based,
loose-fill products can be dissolved in water.

For example, ARS
scientists in Albany, California, have entered a CRADA with Tenneco
Packaging Company, Inc., of Canandaigua, New York, on the development
of biodegradable containers made from wheat starch.

Starch: The demand has grown because of the increase in recycled
papermaking, and there is a shift from unmodified and oxidized
starches to ethylated starches in size-press and coating operations.

..................
It would seem that most of the starch used in current paper
manufacturing are corn and potato based.

Stephen

..................
The most interesting responses from the people on the CELIAC list
were:
.................
From:             Lee Sawyer <[log in to unmask]>

Some paper may include the stalks of wheat (and hulls, etc) - I've
noticed a reaction in my son when he drinks juice in boxes.  Since he
has no other substances that he reacts to . . .

I checked into paper manufacturing, and confirmed the above . . .

....................
From:             [log in to unmask]

Stephen,

>From what I have read, gluten must be ingested and pass through the GI
tract in order to provoke reactions.  This also holds true for DH,
which is only an outward sign of the internal damage to the
intestines.

If you are handling paper that contains gluten for some reason, it
could make it's way into your system if you accidently put your
fingers in your mouth after touching the paper.  Otherwise, perhaps
your reaction is an allergic reaction.

Barb from NE Ohio
....................
From:             Rebecca Goyan <[log in to unmask]>

Hi!

I don't know if there is starch which contains gluten in paper, but
you definitely can have external reactions to gluten (try applying a
hand cream with wheat germ oil in it for a while and see what
happens...nah, might be a bad idea...). However, paper does absorb the
oils from your skin (leaving it cracked and brittle!).  Maybe try hand
lotion for a while (make sure you put it on first thing in the
morning, before you go to bed at night, and everytime you wash your
hands - check the ingredients though - I have no problems with
Vasoline Intensive care or Lubriderm) and if that isn't enough, a
couple of months on cod liver oil (or other fish oil) should help
restore the balance.

Rebecca Goyan
U of C, Alberta
....................

From:             Bobbie Proctor <[log in to unmask]>

Hi, Stephen,


If the starch or sizing in the paper is wheat-based, as it may well
be, it would have gluten in it. I don't know whether you would have a
gluten reaction just from touching it, even with broken skin, but if
you licked your finger to turn a page, for example, you might be
ingesting gluten and might have a reaction. People with DH seem to
react from skin contact with gluten, from I have read on the list, so
if that is your case, it could be the paper that you handle, even
without ingestion. Maybe a health professional (I'm a graphic artist,
and I worry about this kind of thing too) will give you a definite
answer.

I generally consider that anything I handle may well end up inside me
somehow, so I try to avoid even touching products that I know to have
gluten. Children with CD or DH should definitely never handle anything
containing gluten, as whatever they touch is more than likely to end
up in their mouths somehow! This is a real problem with school and art
supplies, including paper. Maybe you could find gloves to use in
handling the papers that bother you (check out the powder used in the
insides of some gloves, though--talc should be OK--it's a mineral--
but the powder may be another starch, which could be wheat-based!).

Good luck and good health!
Bobbi in Baltimore

....................

Thanks

Stephen


######################################################################
Stephen Moss                      [log in to unmask]
St.Thomas University
PO Box 4569, Fredericton, N.B.
Canada, E3B 5G3
Phone:  506-452-7700  ext 484       fax:  506-450-9615