A cashier’s job usually has them handing out receipts to hundreds of people a day who come to their stores. However, scientists at Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) have uncovered something that many have not realized while holding onto the small sheets of paper. The health risks of receipt paper might cause exposure to chemicals that might be harmful to our health.
The paper upon which receipts are printed is coated in heat-reacting chemicals to eliminate the need for ink. However, these chemicals have a downside to them. Studies show that many receipts have used the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), which mimics hormones and has been linked to causing cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Companies have tried to find substitute chemicals to replace BPA such as bisphenol-S (BPS) and 4-hydroxyphenyl 4-isoprooxyphenylsulfone (BPSIP). Unfortunately, these chemicals still show the same harmful outcomes in animals and are still risky for humans who may come into contact with them.
Toxicologist, Kristina Thayer, and a group of other scientists from the EHP decided to do an experiment on these receipts to see what color changing chemicals are used and the danger threshold of these chemicals on those who may be in contact with them. Seventy-seven cashiers and twenty-five non-cashiers were recruited for testing on whether or not they had BPA, BPS, or BPSIP in their bodily fluids. Once tested, Thayer’s team found that they indeed had the chemicals in their systems before and after their shifts. Some cashiers even had two or all three of them at a level where health risks could occur.
With the final results, the team found that thirty-two of the cashiers held BPS coated receipts and after their shifts the amount found in their bodily fluids had doubled in count. There wasn’t as high of a chemical spike found within the urine of twelve cashiers that used BPSIP coated receipts. However, in their blood stream, BPSIP was found more than any other chemical. It was even found on cashiers who didn’t even handle receipts coated with the chemical as well. BPSIP was also found on the twenty-five non cashiers, leading Thayer to suggest that there might be other products that use this chemical besides receipts.
The final thirty-three cashiers were ones who held receipts coated with the BPA chemical. Looking at their bodily fluid samples, the team discovered that the levels of the chemical stayed the same after their shifts. Thayer concluded that this is most likely due to the high exposure of the chemical people get from other sources like food containers or toilet paper.
This study has shown that companies trying to save money may not be the best thing for the health of their employees and customers. While companies are still trying to find other chemical substitutes, the risk of using the current chemicals, even though slim, is still threatening to people’s health.
