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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard something about the materials used in some consumer product being questionable health-wise.  How much you’ve heard and about what is another question altogether!  Perhaps one of the least-known issues right now is that of receipt safety.

Now, I don’ t know about you, but it wouldn’t have really occurred to me to question the safety of a receipt.  I mean, it’s paper, right?  Well, yes…and maybe no.

When Paper Isn’t Just Paper

A lot of receipts nowadays, like the kind you find at the gas station or ATM – and, often, at the grocery store – are a special thermal paper.  I’m not certain – I’m extrapolating based on what I do know, and someone please correct me if I’m wrong – but I think this paper is designed to be printed by heating it above a certain temperature.  (You may have had the experience of having an entire receipt turn dark after having been left in a hot car in the summer, or some such scenario.)  Maybe not; they may just use a laser printer-type setup that uses heat to lay down toner.

Regardless, this paper is often produced with the inclusion of a chemical called Bisphenol-A – we usually just call it “BPA” – which is a known endocrine disruptor.  What’s an endocrine disruptor?  The short version in layman’s terms is that it interferes with your hormone balance.  Of course that’s not a good thing!  (Generally speaking, any kind of “phenol” is going to have this effect and ought to be avoided.)  And BPA is absorbed through the skin, so simply handling these receipts is enough to put BPA into your body.

(As a side note, this now has me wondering about ultrasound pictures.  When we had an ultrasound with Caleb, the tech told us not to leave our pictures in the car, or they’d just turn all-black.  That suggests that their printouts use thermal paper, too, so I wonder if they contain BPA.  [UPDATE: They do.] Hormone disruption would be especially undesirable for a pregnant mama!)

Surprising – and Disappointing – Findings

A recent study conducted on behalf of a law firm in Texas (for an undisclosed client) tested receipts from 82 grocery stores in 12 chains in 17 states.  27 of the samples showed reportable levels of BPA, including a handful with crazy-high levels – all from Winn -Dixie stores.  (To clarify, the receipts with reportable levels were not all from Winn-Dixie.  All the super-high ones were.  Winn-Dixie says they’ve changed suppliers now and are assured the new receipts do not contain BPA.)

We can’t rest easy, though, even if our own favored stores are using BPA-free paper.  The substitute for BPA is typically BPS which – you guessed it – is still a phenol (Bisphenol-S), and still an endocrine disruptor.  (See here and here.)

So What Can You Do About It?

There are a few things.  First, know what poses a threat.  If you’re not sure whether a certain retailer’s receipts are printed on thermal paper, you can find out by rubbing it briskly with a coin (as though you were scratching a scratch-off).  If the paper is thermal, the friction will heat it up and cause a dark spot.

Then your best bet is to avoid it as much as possible.  Sometimes we really need a receipt and can’t just turn it down when it’s offered.  But if/when you can, that’s a great option.  Apart from that,

• handle your receipts as little as possible.
• Don’t let your little ones carry or play with the receipts.
• Wash your hands after handling a receipt.

You might consider taking a few minutes to put some pressure on industry influencers to find a healthier alternative.  Talk to your supermarket chain and let them know you’re concerned about your health as a customer, and about the health of all their cashiers (who are handling receipts all day every day).  Talk to your legislators.  Many toxic chemicals like this are banned or restricted in consumer products in other countries – but not here in the U.S.

Tell a friend.

If low levels of BPA can have a negative impact (which they can/do), it stands to reason that even small changes can reduce the negative impact, as well.  So providing just one friend with information that might change her mind about letting a toddler play with a BPA-laden receipt can be a big deal. 🙂

There are plenty of things we have no control over in terms of toxins, so it behooves us to control the things we can!