As a health-conscious customer who chooses to go green every day by shopping in an eco-friendly and sustainable food store with a conscious effort to avoid plastics by filling your cart with organic vegetables, are you home-free from toxic exposure when you check out at the cash register and are handed your printed out thermal receipt? Are you still faced with the danger of BPA and BPS exposure as you merely tuck your receipt into your purse for further perusal?
Are you faced with the possibility of the toxins in the thermal paper seeping right through your hands into your bloodstream? The answer to all these questions is a big emphatic YES! The danger lurks right by the cash register, waiting patiently to evade your blood system as soon as you make body contact with your receipt. You are likely to be exposed to some dangerous toxins in the least expected way – Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol-S (BPS). Measurable BPA and BPS toxins are emitted through the skin of our hands when we come into contact with a thermal receipt.
Merely touching the receipt emits the deadly chemicals into our bloodstream. Although many receipts are claimed to be BPA and BPS-free, one cannot be careful enough, so here’s what to do from here on out. Simply avoid coming into direct contact with thermal receipts. I’d say going paperless is the way to go! Simply say no when asked if you would like a receipt. But then again, if avoidance is not feasible in your geographical location, no worries. Just avoid handling your receipt, ask your cashier to put it directly in the shopping bag and get rid of it later with no contact whatsoever. Wash your hands thoroughly once you handle a receipt directly. Avoid using hand sanitizers especially before handling a receipt as they are found to open your pores to increase the BPA absorption by a factor of 100 or more. As a cashier, you can also protect yourself by wearing gloves to avoid direct contact.
What they are
Bisphenol A and Bisphenol S are chemical counterparts that are mainly found in plastics, better known as BPA and BPS. They are plastic additives that turn hardened PVC into pliable Vinyl. BPA and BPS represent the main chemical monomer of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. In producing thermal paper, they are used to assist in the heat-activated printing process.
The Effects
BPA is found to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical, hazardous to the reproductive system in both humans and animals. They have been detected in human serum, breast milk, maternal and foetal plasma, amniotic fluid, and even the placental tissue at birth. The chemicals have been linked to many reproductive, immunity and neurological problems including early puberty in children, childhood asthma, increased prostate size, obesity, insulin inhibition, hyperactivity disorder, type 2 diabetes, learning disabilities in children, and cardiovascular diseases among others.
Other ways of exposure
Measurable levels of BPA and BPS are present in polycarbonate plastics; some containers that store food and beverages and drinking bottles; even the plastic baby bottles and Sippy cups used in feeding new born babies are not exempt. ln1997, the FDA found that BPA and BPS migrated from these containers into the water at room temperature and that concentrations increased over time. For instance, the polycarbonate refillable five-gallon water bottles that are re-used for years leach BPA and BPS after long-time use. One study found that older worn plastic bottles leach more BPA and BPS than new containers. The list does not end there, BPA and BPS presence are even found in our coated cookware that we use in preparing our every-day-meal. To be fair, these chemicals were found harmful and banned from use in baby bottles and Sippy cups, but not in the making of thermal paper. It is still found in places where we least expect – receipts.
The real danger
However dangerous the presence of BPA and BPS found in our homes may be, the most worrisome news is that it is still used in making thermal paper. Research shows that there is more BPA and BPS in a single thermal paper receipt; 250 to 1,000 times greater than the amount in a can of food or the total amount that would leach out from a polycarbonate water bottle used for many years. Thermal paper test sampled from 18 hospitality businesses in Minnesota found half of them to contain BPA and BPS at levels ranging from 54 to 79 micrograms per square centimetre of paper. One can only wonder what the statistics are in my beloved Ghana!
Edna is a Lecturer, UPSA Law School .Inspired to commence the achievement of her scholarly dream, she graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA (UIUC) with a Master of Laws (LL.M) Degree in Regulations, Sustainability and Compliance. .
