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What's in Your Wallet? The Trouble with Thermal Receipts

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a chemical used in the plastics industry since the late 1950s to make plastics hard and clear. It's also found in the epoxy resin coatings that line many canned foods. You're probably already familiar with this chemical due to concerns publicized in recent years over its use in plastic food and beverage containers, especially baby bottles. According to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) BPA can leach from these materials into food and beverages -- and into your body. However, even if you're careful to avoid plastics that contain BPA (generally, those marked with recycle codes 3, 6 and 7), you may still be exposed to high levels of this chemical every time you handle a receipt from an ATM or store cash register.

Just How Prevalent is BPA?

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2003 and 2004 found that 93% of urine samples from more than 2,500 children and adults contained measurable levels of BPA. 1 Tracey Woodruff, Ph.D., and fellow researchers from the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California reported in the June 2011 issue of "Environmental Health Perspectives" that 96% of the 268 pregnant women included in the NHANES study had detectable levels of BPA. 2, 3 The NTP says that BPA continues to be passed from mother to child after birth through human breast milk. 1

Adverse Health Effects

BPA is a known endocrine disruptor, meaning that it behaves like steroid hormones in the body, affecting reproduction and increasing the risk of hormone-driven cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer. In terms of fertility, studies with mice models show that BPA not only affects fetal development, but also the offspring's future fertility. Dr. Woodruff expressed concern over the University's study findings since BPA is linked to neurological disorders and is of particular concern in fetal and infant brain development. This is significant because neonatal infants and children represent the largest group exposed to BPA. 1

As if the above isn't bad enough, a study led by Iain A. Lang, Ph.D., published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" reported that people with elevated levels of BPA experience a significantly higher incidence of heart disease and diabetes due to impaired liver function. 4 According to Adam Spanier, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, children born to women who demonstrate elevated BPA levels in their urine during pregnancy have a greater chance of developing asthma. 5 And get this: Scientists from the University of Alabama say that endocrine-disrupting chemicals, like BPA, interfere with hormone function in a way that results in increased volume of adipose tissue. 6 In short, absorbing BPA into your body can make you fat.

Hold Out on Receipt Hand Overs?

According to book author and Natural Resources Defense Council Trustee, Laurie David, yeahjust say "no thanks" when the clerk attempts to pass the receipt over the counter. The reason for this precaution, per David, is that the amount of BPA in the receipt surpasses the level found in the lining of metal cans. What's more, BPA is reactive and doesn't stay put. That means chemical residue can come off the paper and onto your hands. In fact, David says that handling the receipt after using hand lotion may leave you particularly vulnerable. 7

If you must collect the receipt, say for tax purposes or to show proof of purchase, then consider keeping an envelope in your wallet or purse to slip the receipt into, minimizing your contact with the chemical.

Pay it Forward

Since many young people and retired folks tend to work in occupations that require them to handle receipt paper for hours every day, you might think about doing them a favor and letting them know of the potential risk. For that matter, you might be reading this because you're employed in such a position yourself. In either case, wearing gloves offers some protection, but isn't necessarily practical. A better alternative is to let management know that there is BPA-free receipt paper available. According to an article in "Science News," the Environmental Protection Agency is exploring at least 18 alternatives to the chemical. In addition, Appleton, the largest manufacturer of receipt paper in the U.S., says that it's been making BPA-free thermal receipt paper available since 2006. 8, 9

What's in Your Wallet? The Trouble with Thermal Receipts

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