That makes a lot more sense than the "recycled paper" opinion, Paul.
Newspapers do smell like oil, and anyone who has ever folded papers
for a paper route knows how black one's hands can get from that.

On Tue, 23 Dec 2014 11:19:46 -0600, "Paul K. Dickman"
wrote:


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
.. .
So what happened? My friend Vicki says that someone told her today
that newspaper is now made from recycled paper that has metal in it.
That could explain it, I guess.



More than likely, it was the ink.

Books get printer with a linseed oil based ink that gets dry, usually with
an additional heating step.

Newspaper ink, because of high speed printing requirements and little
expectation of longevity, are printed with petro or soy based inks that
never dry but get absorbed by the paper.

The oil can get a lot hotter in the microwave than water, certainly higher
than 451f. Add in carbon black and it is a recipe for disaster.

Paul K. Dickman