Think twice before saying yes to that receipt.
According to new research from the Center for Environmental Health, the tiny paper documents used by major US retailers contain alarmingly high levels of Bisphenol S (BPS), an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing — high enough to be dangerous even in the brief period it takes you to stuff one into your pocket.
"The concentrations were so high that touching only one receipt with BPS for 10 seconds resulted in exposure above the safe harbor level which requires a clear and reasonable warning to consumers," Mihir Vohra, science lead at CEH, said in a statement about the findings.
Citing tests conducted by an independent lab and the latest literature on the subject, the CEH has taken legal action by sending violation notices to around 50 companies found to have BPS-laden receipts with concentrations violating California's Proposition 65 limits, The Guardian reports. Some of the most notable brands include Burger King, Walmart, Dollar General and AMC Theaters.
"[The findings were] really eye-opening for us," Vohra told the Guardian. "They really speak to just how high the concentrations of BPS are in these receipts."
Bisphenols are a group of chemicals used to manufacture commonplace consumer goods, ranging from food packaging to clothing to electronics. In recent decades, however, some research has suggested that exposure to a variant known as Bisphenol A (BPA) is linked to a number of troubling health outcomes, including breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, and even premature death. And virtually everyone may be exposed to a significant degree: a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2013 and 2014 found detectable levels of BPAs in 95.7 percent of urine samples.
While the US Food and Drug and Administration still considers BPAs to be safe, European Union regulators have recently banned using BPA in products that come into contact with food. In response to the uncertainty around the safety of BPA, which many manufacturers are phasing out, BPS has been touted as its safer replacement — but that may not be the case.
Emerging literature has linked BPS to similar toxic effects: it may increase the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cause damage to the reproductive system. In December 2023, California listed BPS as a substance that causes reproductive issues. Under Proposition 65, also known the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, the move forces businesses to either drop the chemical from their products or to provide a warning to customers about the presence of BPS within one year.
That year has elapsed. By calling out the BPS levels in the receipts — where it's used as a coating for the thermal paper the documents are printed on — the CEH is pressuring businesses to comply with the demands within 60 days. If they don't play ball, the nonprofit can sue.
In the meantime, the CEH advises customers to decline printed receipts. But the biggest danger, it notes, is for the cashiers that handle them daily.
"Store workers who must handle receipts should wear gloves if possible or avoid using alcohol-based hand cleaners before handling a receipt because it can significantly increase the absorption of BPS," said Shakoora Azimi-Gaylon, senior director of the CEH's Toxic Exposures and Pollution Prevent Program, said in the statement.
More on plastics: Doctors Say They’ve Found a Way to Clean the Microplastics Out of Your Body
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