Saturday, July 31, 2010
Getting a paper receipt with your next purchase may be wise fiscal management, but dangerous for your health. Laboratory testing commissioned by the Environmental Working Group found high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) on 40% of receipts sampled from major U.S. businesses and services. Exposure to too much BPA is considered a potential health hazard for babies, young children and even adults, causing a range of symptoms from reproductive disorders to altered DNA in lab animals.
The amounts of BPA discovered on receipts were 250 to 1,000 times greater than consumer items found to contain the chemical, such as a can of food or baby formula.
According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cashiers and other retail workers have 28% more BPA in their bodies than the average U.S. adult.
Companies and agencies found using receipts with high amounts of BPA included McDonald’s, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, WalMart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service. The greatest amount of BPA recorded was on a receipt from a Safeway in Washington, D.C.
Fortunately, other businesses appear to be using non-BPA receipts. These include Target, Starbucks and Bank of America ATMs. Receipts at the cafeteria of the U.S. House of Representatives revealed high levels of BPA, while those from the Senate cafeteria were BPA-free.
-David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff
EWG Tests Find High BPA Loads on Receipts (Environmental Working Group)
Synthetic Estrogen BPA Coats Cash Register Receipts (Environmental Working Group)
Transfer of Bisphenol A from Thermal Printer Paper to the Skin (by Sandra Biedermann, Patrik Tschudin and Koni Grob, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry)
Can of Del Monte Green Beans Sets Toxic BPA Record (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Comments