Category: Urban Rumors

• The "Poisoned" Postage Stamps

  This theory held that the adhesive on the backs of modern postage stamps was unhealthy, chemically suspicious, or even deliberately manipulated by authorities. In its milder form, the panic centered on toxicity: people feared licking the glue might slowly poison them or spread infection. In stronger, more conspiratorial retellings, the gum was imagined as a medium for hidden chemical markers, surveillance, or “government trackers.” The documented record clearly shows that anxieties about gummed paper and postal privacy were real, though they did not begin with stamps alone. What is much less secure is the claim that stamp adhesive was ever used as a tracking technology; that part belongs to rumor culture rather than documented postal practice.