Bisphenol-A (BPA)Bisphenol A a chemical widely used in plastic bottles and in the linings of food cans can mimic actions of estrogen, a reproductive hormone. Linked to fetal developmental problems, obesity, and even cancer, this estrogen-mimicking chemical was recently banned in Canada. Several recent studies have found significant traces of BPA on store receipts printed on thermal imaging paper. (You can tell this type of paper by scratching it—if the pressure leaves a mark, it’s thermal imaging paper.)
Most health risk studies have been done in animals. Scientists are still working to confirm conclusively that bisphenol A exposure is harmful to humans and whether the doses tested in rodents compare to the types of exposures that people get.
Tests showed that holding a receipt for 10 seconds could transfer as much as 2.5 micrograms of the chemical onto human skin. And “testers transferred much higher amounts, about 15 times as much, by rubbing receipts,” the researchers reported.
Here’s how to avoid getting too much BPA on your hands:
• Minimize how much you handle store receipts and refuse them if you don’t need them. Separate receipts from other contents in your wallet.
• Take advantage of electronic receipts when possible.
• Don’t bother with gloves. Koni Grob, an author of the Swiss study, told ScienceNews.org that gloves will likely allow BPA molecules to “migrate through.”
• Ask store and restaurant managers to use BPA-free receipt paper. Send emails and fill out comments cards.
