Glue

There are many types of glue.

Glue is a sticky material (usually a liquid) that can stick two or more things together. Glue can be made from plant or animal parts, or it can be made from oil-based chemicals.

Glue can also be made from rice or rice flour. The first glues may have been natural liquids that come out of trees when they are cut. Later, people learned to make glue by boiling animal feet, cartilage or bones. Some very strong glues were first made from fish bones, rubber or milk.

A simple glue can be made at home by mixing wheat, flour and water. This glue will stick pieces of paper together. Many kinds of art can be made using glue. A collage is a work of art made by using glue to stick coloured things onto paper.

Some glues can be used to keep water out of boats, buildings or vehicles. In this case, the glue may be called caulk. Some man-made materials, including wood-like materials, are made using glues to bind together small pieces of material or powders. In other cases, glue might have added ingredients, to give it water repellant or water resistant features. This glue is used in DIY near water or gluing things that sit near water in their use. Commercially made glue which does not contain chemicals to do this, would be less effective around water, because it is not that way without help.

While many glues are safe, certain kinds of glue contain strong-smelling chemicals. Some people sniff these glues to get high. Sometimes people breathe in the vapors by mistake. This is a very bad idea because these chemicals are often poisons and may cause brain damage or illness. Despite lots of people thinking that glue consumption is unsafe, most glues (especially child-safe glues are safe to eat. This is because glue is not biocidal. It is why glue manufacturers add biocides to glue, which otherwise allow germs to grow. This added ingredient is probably not safe to eat however.

Glue would become dangerous to people if it was eaten, if germs were in it. Because of the way glue is used, bacteria would spread to the hands and parts of the body, or things that are touched, and transfer (give) bacteria to the things that touch it. Other uses for glue includes sticking together food, and this type needs to be safe to eat. In the meat industry, reclaimed food (scraps of the food that is blended up) are used to make meatballs and other meatlike products that look and taste like meat. Glue is often used in Chicken in America. The food that is made with reclaimedmeat might contain biocides (such as a desiccant to prevent rot and mould, preservatives, and be fortified. This type of glue is safe to eat but the food is not healthy or appealing normally.