There’s nothing quite as mundane as having a waiter hand you several receipts to wade through and sign at the end of a meal or a cashier asking if you want your receipt in the bag with your groceries. It’s a common occurrence most of us think nothing of. We’d probably never assume that such an everyday miscellaneous item was endangering us and our entire families? The receipt has become a vehicle for one of the most potent doses of Bisphenol A(BPA) that the average person encounters on a regular basis. Let’s take a look.
Chances are you have heard of BPA. Maybe you don’t know what all the talk is really about or fully understand the details but you’ve probably noticed that over the last decade, a lot of plastic products have gone out of their way to announce and advertise the fact that they have eliminated BPA in their products. BPA-free might be on a water bottle you have or maybe a set of tupperware. BPA-free would suggest that BPA is something no one would want to store their food in and without even knowing it, you might now look for that assurance when picking up a new dish.
Indeed, BPA is a pretty serious culprit. It’s been categorized as an endocrine disruptor which in turn alters the proper balance of a person’s sex and thyroid hormones, which as you might know, control a vast array of other systems within the body. Unsurprisingly, it’s linked to infertility and low sperm quality as well as miscarriages and preterm birth. In adolescents, it’s linked to the impaired development of genitalia and improper sexual function. In some cases, BPA has triggered early puberty. Asthma and imparited immune function have been noted as well.
In addition, BPA is detrimental to cardiovascular and metabolic health, ushering in ailments such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, obesity,high cholesterol and poor liver function. Not to be left out, there are also strong ties between BPA and breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. With so many consequences of BPA exposure, it’s little wonder companies are working so hard to eliminate it from their products.
Unfortunately, the discovery of BPA in thermal receipt paper is a big blow to those who have been trying to steer clear of this chemical for years. Receipts were found to contain 250 to 1000 times greater than what was found in the liner of food containers!! Even holding a receipt for 60 seconds results in a measurable increase in BPA in the blood. Researchers have also found that if your hands are damp or wet with lotion or sanitizer or even water, the speed of BPA absorption into the skin is significantly higher.
So, what to do? Well, for starters, anytime you are posed with the question of whether or not you want the receipt for something you know you will not return, decline! Take a picture for your records if you need to keep track and touch the actual receipt as little as possible. Wash your hands directly after handling a receipt and especially before preparing food. Keep your kids away from them altogether if you can! Advocate for your favorite places to switch totally to electronic receipts that you can recieve on your phone! Let’s make this a win-win for every business in the US!