"WaltA" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:03:44 -0000, Rupert & I wrote:
but now use organic* dyes instead
so are ok in the compost heap.
* organic in the carbon-based sense, not as in the
back-to-nature/natural sense.

Just had a look at the constituents of modern inks and they are
frightening
too.

Because ,, ?

As constituents of ink ? Or because they will leave nasties after
composting ??

Because they are complex organics of which the chemical and physiological
properties are not well understood.
I had a distant recollection of a food scare relating to ink on packaging
that had migrated to the food.
Isopropylthioxanthone (ITX) was the substance in question;-
In its original statement on ITX on 24 November, EFSA said: "On the basis of
the very limited data available today, the presence of ITX in food could be
considered "undesirable" but it is not likely to present a health risk at
the
levels reported."
Print inks are not an area of my expertise,but looking at the formulae of
these things I would not wish to eat them:-)

I doubt that the decomposition products formed through composting are well
understood.