Is that Receipt in Your Hand Bad for Your Health?

BPA - Research Suggests that it’s Harmful to Your Family’s Health

The FDA banned the harmful chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) from items for children such as baby bottles and children's sippy cups in July 2012.

In the past few years, many manufacturers of consumer products have considered this an important issue and have taken steps to make their products were "BPA-free".

But there's another source of BPA that you'd never think could harm you, and it might be right in the palm of your hand.

It's the shiny cash register receipt you received from your last purchase.

What is BPA?

Bisphenol A or BPA is chemical that's been used in both polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins since the 1960s.

You'll find polycarbonate plastics in hard plastic food and beverage storage containers, water bottles and cups. They're also found in other consumer goods such as electronics, sports equipment, DVDs, CD's and toys.

Epoxy resins are in the internal coatings of metal food and drink cans found in items on your grocery shelves such as in cans of soup or soda cans.

Epoxy resins are used to coat water supply lines, so it contaminates our drinking supply.

They're found in dental fillings and sealants, on dental devices, eyeglass lenses and medical devices.

Epoxy resins are also used on thermal paper products, such as your shiny cash register receipt.

These items all contain levels of BPA which can be considered significant when the chemical breaches into our bodies.

Is BPA Bad for You?

According to researchers, BPA can leach into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA or into your body when you handle products made with BPA.

The Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) chose to ban the use of BPA in products for young babies because of the harmful effects many research studies showed. However The American Chemistry Council, representing the plastics manufacturers, still disputes these studies and contends that BPA poses no risk at all to human health.

The Endocrine Society, on the other hand, issued a statement of concern in 2009 over the amount human exposure to BPA we are now seeing. Research from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) found BPA to be present in the urine of 95% of adults and 93% of children in their studies.

So What Does This Have to Do with My Cash Receipt?

Approximately 40% of cash register receipts in the United States are printed on glossy thermal-coated paper. Thermal paper is not only used on cash receipts but today is commonly used for other purposes such as movie theater tickets, airline tickets, and other stubs.

You can recognize this type of receipt or ticket because it's printed on shiny paper. Shiny or glossy receipts contain measurable levels of the chemical BPA.

BPA from thermal paper and carbonless paper can easily get onto your hands and fingers. The problem is not so much from what you'll absorb through your skin, but from what you'll ingest if your fingers or hands come in contact with your mouth.

Receipts are Part of Everyday Life So What Do You Do?

Cash register receipts and thermal paper tickets are a part of modern living, we’re not going to get past that.  But here are some expert tips offered by a pediatrician and medical researcher who studies the effects of BPA.

According to Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Washington Department of Pediatrics and a researcher at the Seattle Children's Research Institute, you should take these steps:

1. Examine your receipt or ticket and recognize when you have the need to act on protecting your health. Don't just blindly receive the thermal paper and forget about it.

2. If you don't have a requirement for a receipt, decline to accept it. Simply don't take the receipt.

3. If you need a receipt for your purchase or must handle receipts in your job, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before handling food, eating, or placing your hands near your mouth.

4. Finally, keep shiny receipts away from children's hands. If a shiny receipt is handled by your child, wash your child's hands thoroughly and immediately.

Wash Hands After Handling Glossy Receipts

This chart from the Canadian Lung Association demonstrates how to thoroughly wash your hands to help control disease. Use the same technique when washing to rid your hands of BPA.

Receipts in Your Life

First of all, be aware that you might be touching a toxic paper product.  Examine your receipt or ticket.  Is it shiny?  You need to notice this fact in order to deal with the issue properly.

Next, if the paper is shiny, do you really need a receipt?  If no, don't take it.  If yes, wash your hands as soon as possible after touching the receipt.  Be sure to keep your hands away from your mouth.

Finally, don't let children touch shiny receipts. Wash their hands thoroughly whenever they come in contact with shiny receipts.

Thought for Today

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened,

ambition inspired,

and 

success achieved.

 - Helen Keller