[MR] OOP need advice about dealing with bone that has been in formalgahide

[Gina Shelley]

For what it's worth:
 
I knew this bones player who used to come out to the Publick House and play with us sometimes. He had a pair of bones he made from some cow bones he'd gotten somewhere. He'd soaked them in bleach, cleaned them thoughoughly, and shaped them for playing. 
 
Turned out, the dude got terribly sick every time he handled them. He'd go out for a night of playing, and end up getting some kind of food poisoning symptoms.  He kept re-cleaning them, re-drying them, to no avail. He still got sick after playing them. Pretty soon, after a while of this, he quit getting sick. He figured he either got immune to whatever horrible bacteria the things were harboring, or the bacteria died off. 
 
But still, just to be safe, if people asked him if they could try his bones, he'd say "uh...yeah, I dont' really mind...but...I wouldn't if I were you."  
 
Draw whatever conclusion you will from this story.
 
I'm sure if you were able to sufficiently sterilize them, it would be fine. My friend was unable to achieve this level of cleanliness. I suspect rancid organic material was present that somehow made it into his mouth or eyes when it got on his hands. Smaller bones might be easier to clean than cow bones.
 
Dulcy
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