: How long does it take paper to digest in the human body?

Not Medical Advice: The human body is actually unable to digest paper, because it's made out of cellulose and humans lack the enzymes to break down cellulose. However, when paper is ingested by a human, it takes approximately 24 to 72 hours to pass through their system and be excreted from the body. While there's no exact time known for every case of paper ingestion, it will likely take less time if the paper is chewed or finely ground.

While paper isn't especially dangerous or hazardous to the body, it's not recommended to eat it and it has no nutritional value. Accidental ingestion from wrappers and in other such situations shouldn't be much of a problem. The biggest medical concern regarding paper ingestion is the possibility of constipation and/or bowel obstruction, but this is unlikely unless a lot of paper has been eaten. Children and pets are much more likely to have problems like this, so it's highly advised to make sure they don't ingest much paper.

Speaking of paper, in April 2013, Fujitsu revealed their development of a new technology that will effectively turn paper or any surface into a touchscreen. Users will be able to highlight text and pictures on a piece of paper using only their fingers, and easily copy images and text to a computer.