When you shop in a store, that paper receipt is likely to contain hazardous chemicals. Most of these receipts are printed on thermal paper that uses heat, which results in shiny pieces of paper “…coated with bisphenol A or bisphenol S, endocrine-disruption industrial chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream. These chemicals act like hormones, and there is growing concern that they may be causing cancer, infertility and birth defects, among other things.”
Bisphenol A, aka PBA is listed on California’s list of hazardous chemicals. PBA is in many products, “…notably in plastics, and research has shown that most people have trace amounts in their bodies.” What you can do to reduce your exposure, is to ask for an emailed or texted receipt, and to heat and store your food in glass containers.
Source: “Email me my receipt, please.” LATimes 28, Apr. 2019: A15. Print.
- Additional sources: https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/bpa
- https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/10/06/555900292/which-items-in-our-kitchens-contain-bpa