Perils associated with talking or whistling near a stamp collection; dangers of touching stamp tongs' working surfaces then picking up a stamp, and the horror of soaking used stamps from envelopes with ordinary tap water are discussed in this article by a designer of computer chip factory clean rooms. Printing, postal service distribution, user handling, delivery methods, and the environment at the destination are all factors which contaminate stamps to a great degree before they ever come into a collector's hands. He warns, especially, against the release agents used by manufacturers of plastics and aluminum foil.