Chinese woman’s mouth covered in blisters after tearing open parcel with her teeth
Resident in southeast city of Xiamen noticed package was covered in ash and smelled strange but was undeterred, mainland media reports
A woman in China’s southeast Fujian province developed a severe rash around her mouth after she used her teeth to open a delivered parcel, a news site reports.
Xiao Hou had recently purchased some items online and received them in Xiamen city last Wednesday, Fjsen.com said on Monday.
She immediately noticed the package was covered in ash and smelled strange. She didn’t have scissors with her so decided to tear it open with her teeth.
That night, pimples formed around her mouth, and by the time she awoke the next morning, they had become filled with puss. The pain from the blisters was so intense she couldn’t open her mouth and rushed to see a doctor.
The article quoted a dermatologist at the Xiamen Medium Hospital as saying wrapping used for parcels could contain more germs than a rubbish bin.
The paper was usually made from recycled materials and processed with chemicals, most of which were likely toxic.
Packages also picked up germs in the handling and delivery process, the doctor said.
“When opening delivered parcels, [we] should use tools like scissors and particularly should not use [our] mouth to tear the wrapping,” the doctor added. “Afterwards, [we] should wash our hands immediately.”
The report did not say whether Xiao, whose age was not given, received effective treatment for the rash.
National broadcaster CCTV ran a report in 2011 about health safety risks present in napkins made from recycled waste paper.
The show said the napkins were even filthier than toilet paper. The show reported that under government regulations, recycled paper may not be used in the production of paper used for sanitary purposes. The only qualified raw materials are wood and bamboo.
