Blechy--"Public" health hazard school stuff?

elisecohen

Wed, Jul 12 2006, 6:55 am

Okay this is so gross and I'm not sure where to post it but I figured I'd put it under health--
Last night my dd sat next to me with her summer math work and I noticed something smelled. I told her to go shower and she told me it wasn't her it was the math papers. Then she explained:

SHE LEFT A CONTAINER OF TUNA FISH IN HER BACKPACK WITH ALL HER SUPPLIES SINCE SCHOOL ENDED A MONTH AGO!!!!!!

Well, I told her to go get a bag and throw it all away. She complained that all her things were in there, including her limudei kodesh papers, good notebooks, etc. I instructed her to go get a garbage bag, put the backpack (and the tuna of course) outside sealed up and put the papers down in the basement overnight so we could see what could be "decontaminated." When I went down this morning the whole room stinks horribly. I think we need to just get a bag and throw it all away.

So my problem is--how do I search through for any shaimos? What do I do if there is any; it can't sit around anywhere here or at a shaimos collection site. What about the good notebooks and other things--I guess it's not halachically wasteful to dispose of them if there is a good reason like this even if they were useful still before this "incident?"

I need advice from anyone able to read this without throwing up (or laughing hysterically at the "joys" of parenthood) LOL

chen

Wed, Jul 12 2006, 10:48 am

Did the tuna leak onto the papers? If not, and only the smell permeated, you have no real problem. wash what can be washed, spray with Lysol or Febreze or some lavender oil in water , put in a sunny and airy location to air out for a while and you're set.

the notebooks and papers are pretty much goners--the smell is not going to come out any time soon, if ever. bal tashchis is not an issue b/c the stuff is already ruined.

you do need to look for shaimos. again, if it's just smelly and not actually contaminated with putrid tuna, put a clothespin on your nose, breathe through your mouth and go for it. actually, make dd go for it--it's her fault, after all. do it outside in fresh air if possible.

if the tuna actually got on to the papers, it's still not a real health hazard b/c food poisoning germs are not an airborne threat. for esthetic reasons I'd wear gloves , maybe even tie a bandanna around my nose and mouth, and of course wash hands thoroughly with soap and water afterwards. rinse the papers with water and let them air-dry (a clothesline is ideal if you have one). If it's a book, stand it up on its edge with the covers open and set it in front of a fan to speed drying. or use a blow dryer but be careful not to let the paper get too hot.

since you don't want to stink up the shaimos bin, you can try to de-scent any shaimos after you have washed and dried them by sprinkling them heavily with baking soda or baby powder and putting them for a while in a container with more baking soda and/or some charcoal briquets. change the soda or briquets every few days.

for more advice, contact a librarian at your public library or a preservation specialist at the museum and ask them how they rescue moldy/mildewed/flood-damaged books.