Paper receipts have made headlines for their potential impact on your health, largely because they may contain bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used, potentially hazardous chemical found in plastics, resin linings, and beverage containers. They may also contain bisphenol S (BPS), a common replacement for BPA that may also pose health risks.
Some businesses in California were recently cited for exposing consumers to BPA from paper receipts without a warning.
Here’s what to know about paper receipts — and tips on how to handle them safely.
Most store receipts use thermal paper, which is coated in chemicals like leuco dye (which turns dark when heated up), BPA or BPS to develop color, and stabilizers so the image stays intact.
The toxicology community hasn’t reached a consensus on the potential risks of paper receipts. Scientists are currently looking into BPA and BPS, which interfere with how your body’s
hormones work. They’re interested to see how low-dose exposure can affect hormone-sensitive tissues like the
brain, prostate, and breasts.
Although BPA has been used in receipts for decades, many companies switched to BPS as concerns about health risks grew. “Unfortunately, BPS appears to have similar health concerns,” says
Don Thushara Galbadage, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of public health at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, who studies microbiology and epidemiology.
Today, some safer alternatives like ascorbic acid appear to be gaining some traction, says Shannon Fitzgerald, PharmD, a toxicologist and pharmacist based in Haverfordwest, Wales. But “too often the more scrutinized BPA and BPS are merely substituted with other similar chemicals,” she says.
Research shows BPA can mimic estrogen and bind to estrogen receptors, which can disrupt your hormonal signaling pathways. This poses risks to reproductive health, leading to
irregular periods, ovulation issues, and decreased ovarian function or
sperm quality. BPA may also cause inflammation and cell damage.
“Both chemicals act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can mimic hormones and potentially interfere with reproductive, developmental, and metabolic processes,” says Dr. Galbadage. “The evidence is strong for BPA and increasingly convincing for BPS, raising concerns that replacing one with the other has not solved the problem.”
But do the levels of BPA and BPS in paper receipts cause enough exposure to be problematic? The research is not yet entirely clear. Just touching a receipt for a few seconds can transfer BPA to your skin, and the longer you’re in contact with it, the more exposure you’ll have. Using hand sanitizer before handling receipts can make matters worse, since the alcohol in
hand sanitizer breaks down the skin’s natural barrier — meaning more BPA and BPS can be absorbed.
Research has also found links between exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA and other health issues, including
cancer, metabolic disorders like
diabetes,
heart disease, and pregnancy problems.
While in most cases you likely don’t need to worry about everyday exposure to receipts, you may be at higher risk if you regularly touch a large volume of them. For instance, cashiers may be exposed at unsafe levels.
“For most consumers, occasional handling of receipts is a small and avoidable source of exposure,” says Galbadage. “The greater concern is for cashiers, servers, and other workers who handle receipts throughout the day. Their repeated, cumulative contact can result in much higher exposure, especially if their hands are moist or if they use sanitizer frequently.”
Even those who touch receipts at normal levels can spread the chemicals if they touch their face, food, or phone.
“Holding receipts with moist or greasy fingers and using hand sanitizers or lotions prior also enhances skin absorption of BPA and BPS,” says Dr. Fitzgerald.
There are environmental concerns with these chemicals, too, given that bisphenols also pose health risks to wildlife. “Depending on factors including water flow, temperature, and the nature of the material that they adhere to, these harmful chemicals can quickly spread throughout an ecosystem and persist for days in an aquatic setting,” says Fitzgerald.
By taking steps to reduce your exposure, you can limit the amount of BPA and BPS you’re potentially absorbing. “While we can’t eliminate every exposure, being informed allows us to reduce unnecessary risks, especially those with invisible, long-term health effects,” says Galbadage.
Receipts are a part of life for most people, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept the risks. With a few simple steps, you can avoid the toxic effects of receipts.
- Ask for digital receipts. “These are expected to become the standard in the future, with many speculating a vast decrease in thermal printing within the next five years due to environmental concerns,” says Fitzgerald.
- Strategize your handwashing. Don’t use hand sanitizer before handling a receipt, but do wash your hands afterward, says Galbadage. A widely cited study found that when applied before handling a thermal receipt, some common hand sanitizers can increase absorption of BPA by up to 100 times.
- Take precautions if you work with receipts regularly. “Workers can reduce risk by using protective finger cots or gloves when changing receipt rolls and washing hands before meals or breaks,” says Galbadage.
- Support retailers that use alternate types of receipts. “You can help shift the market by supporting retailers that use safer alternatives, like phenol-free paper or electronic receipts, and advocating for transparency and safer chemical policies from manufacturers,” says Galbadage. Learn more about retailers that are (or are not) using BPS- or BPA-free receipts with the Green America Skip the Slip report.
- Avoid receipts if you’re pregnant or spend time around children. “Pregnant people and children are considered more vulnerable because their developing systems are more sensitive to hormone-disrupting chemicals,” says Galbadage. “For this reason, it’s best to limit unnecessary contact in these groups.”
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