vampgirl Posted May 3, 2005 #1 Share Posted May 3, 2005 What you don't know, wont hurt you, but this one it sure is worth knowing. I used to work for an envelope company. Our plant supervisor used to work in the Chicago plant and told us not to lick the envelopes because they would often find dead rats at the bottom of the glue barrel (after thousands of envelopes had been glued and shipped). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I work in a factory and we have 2 employees who used to work in an envelope factory. They told me that when the machine jams up, they use whatever water is handy to thin out the glue. This includes water that they just mopped the floor with. Since then, I've avoided licking envelopes! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A woman was working in a post office in California. One day she licked the envelopes and postage stamps instead of using a sponge. That very day the lady cut her tongue on the envelope. A week later, she noticed an abnormal swelling of her tongue. She went to the doctor, but they found nothing wrong. Her tongue was not sore or anything. A couple of days later, her tongue started to swell more, and it began to get so sore, that she could not eat. She went back to the hospital, and demanded something be done. The doctor took an x-ray of her tongue and noticed a lump. He prepared her for minor surgery. When the doctor cut her tongue open, a live cockroach crawled out! There were roach eggs on the seal of the envelope. The egg was able to hatch inside of her tongue, because of her saliva. It was warm and moist. This is a true story reported on CNN. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I used to work in an envelope factory. You wouldn't believe the things that float around in those gum applicator trays. I haven't licked an envelope for years! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I used to work for a print shop (32 years ago) and we were told NEVER to lick the envelopes. I never understood why until I had to go into storage and pull out 2500 envelops that were already printed for a customer who was doing a mailing and saw several squads of roaches roaming around inside a couple of boxes with eggs everywhere. They eat the glue on the envelopes. I think print shops have a harder time controlling roaches than a restaurant. I always buy the self-sealing type. Or if need be, I use a glue stick to seal one that has the type of glue that needs to be wet to stick. After reading this you will never lick another envelope or stamp ever again.source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richdog Posted May 3, 2005 #2 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Oh. My. God. You haev just scared the bejeesus out of me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABOTU Posted May 3, 2005 #3 Share Posted May 3, 2005 eh.... no way I'll be licking any envelopes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zackery00 Posted May 3, 2005 #4 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Self sealing are your best bet now-a-days. Who would want a roach crawling out of their tongue??? I wonder how she reacted when the wold her that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walken Posted May 3, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Most of those sound like Urban legends to me but... I've licked like 3000 envelopes doing mail outs on my work experience at an estate agents in the last week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander CMG Posted May 3, 2005 #6 Share Posted May 3, 2005 (edited) Vampgirl, I think you have just persuaded everyone use email rather than snail mail post anymore interesting story. The local post mistress in our post office would never lick envelopes, she said each envelope added 5 calories to your diet. Edited May 3, 2005 by XSAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplos Posted May 3, 2005 #7 Share Posted May 3, 2005 The roach in the tongue thing is an urban myth. While kinda gross, dead rats/bugs in huge vats of glue wouldn't really do anything to you. Extra protein in the envelope glue? I don't lick them. They taste gross, and who wants glue all over their tongue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warden Posted May 3, 2005 #8 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Well i never heard the likes i always lick my wifes envelope and nothing has happened to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie.Lynne Posted May 3, 2005 #9 Share Posted May 3, 2005 yeah, the 'roach-eggs-in-the-tongue' thing was also bandied about as a taco bell legend too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conspiracy Posted May 3, 2005 #10 Share Posted May 3, 2005 lol and i just licked a envelope shut last night argh >.< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennRose Posted May 3, 2005 #11 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Yup, roach egg in tongue = urban legend. Roaches' egg sacs (oothecas) are large enought you would never miss them on an envelope. Plus, they are not constructed to be parasites---the digestive acids in your mouth and saliva would kill them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henpeck69 Posted May 3, 2005 #12 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Absolutely positively GROSS! I buy the self seal thankyou very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted May 3, 2005 #13 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I now have a weird craving for envelope glue. If it's good enough for cockroaches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittish_gurl Posted May 3, 2005 #14 Share Posted May 3, 2005 My licking is done here... that would be nasty though to find out that you had a roach living inside your tongue......... But that would be a funny story to tell your friends... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__Kratos__ Posted May 3, 2005 #15 Share Posted May 3, 2005 *puts post-it note in mind to always use sponge to wet envelopes* That just sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted May 3, 2005 #16 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Whether any of it is true or not I won't be licking any more envelopes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted May 3, 2005 #17 Share Posted May 3, 2005 No offense, but I think we've got the general idea that no-one wants to lick envelope glue any more... We'd rather leave a surplus supply of envelope glue lying around various vermon-contaminated factories, so the overall populus of cockroaches increases, eventually to alarming rates nearing infestation levels. But at least we wouldn't have to lick any envelopes no more... Twisted or what? Or am I taking things too far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted May 3, 2005 #18 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Yeah, you've taken it a bit too far. We could always use the envelope glue in roach hotels... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Posted May 3, 2005 #19 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Ewww thats yuck ! No way i will be licking a envelpope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie.Lynne Posted May 3, 2005 #20 Share Posted May 3, 2005 >sigh< I give up. Some legends just won't die. No matter how silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH2097 Posted May 3, 2005 #21 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Don't forget how stupid they sound as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted May 3, 2005 #22 Share Posted May 3, 2005 THIS is what Snopes said about the story. Half way down the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodie.Lynne Posted May 3, 2005 #23 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Thanks for the link Tommy, but, alas, I fear it will not change anyone's mind, nor stem the flow of earnest e-mails passing this 'dire' warning to all and sundry. On a related note: Why do people get such a thrill out of passing these rumours along? I never could understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfstone810 Posted May 4, 2005 #24 Share Posted May 4, 2005 You know, even if there were no bugs and/or dead rats in the glue vats (and the "roachtongue" story having been disproved ), glue just doesn't seem to me to be that salubrious a thing to let your tongue touch anyway. You all DO know what sorts of things they make glue out of, right? (If not, ask someone else. I've got a week stomach! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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