Black and white and red all over

Catawba River Women, by Carla Linster – March 22, 2012

I’m not sure if I’m red with embarrassment or red with anger. I’m not sure how I missed this information and I’m not sure why I’m not hearing more about this.

By now all of us have heard about BPA, bisphenol-A, in consumer goods from baby bottles to water bottles to food cans. BPA is contained in polycarbonate plastics, making them tough and lightweight compared to glass. Polycarbonate plastics are included in some food and drink packaging, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, medical devices, epoxy resins to coat food cans, bottle tops and water supply pipes.

But did you know that BPA is often found in receipts? Saturday evening my husband, John, asked me if I knew this. I didn’t. To my credit I asked, “Thermal receipts?"

“Yes,” was his reply, “and at much higher levels than in plastic bottles and canned goods.”

The concern over BPA is that it is an endocrine disrupter, mimicking the body's hormones. Hormones are important for brain development, and studies in animals suggest that BPA may harm reproductive, developmental and other systems, causing neurological problems or stimulating obesity.

Since that conversation with John I have done some research and learned that BPA is often used as a color developer for the printing dye in the thermal cash-register receipts given out routinely by stores. BPA is also found in ATM receipts, baggage destination tags, cigarette filters and bus, train and lottery tickets. Feeling lucky?

BPA levels found on receipts are 250 to 1,000 times higher than the amount found in a can of food or a can of baby formula. And if you are thinking about BPA exposure via contact from contaminated hands with your mouth or food, and then digested, studies have shown that a quarter of the BPA we absorb actually comes through the skin. It can reach the blood stream within 2 hours of skin contact, unmetabolized and in a more active state than when digested.

How to tell if you have a thermal receipt: Rub your receipt with a coin. If it discolors from the friction, it is a thermal receipt.

How to reduce BPA exposure in receipts:

• Never give thermal receipts to children to hold or play with.
• Minimize receipt collection by declining receipts at gas pumps, ATMs and other machines when possible.
• Store receipts separately in an envelope in a wallet or purse. (Placing receipts next to paper money contaminates the money.)
• After handling a receipt, wash your hands before preparing and eating food (a universally recommended practice before any food preparation).
• Do not use alcohol-based hand cleaners after handling receipts. A recent study showed that these products could increase the skin's BPA absorption.
• Take advantage of store services that email or archive paperless purchase records.
• Do not recycle receipts and other thermal paper. BPA residues from receipts will contaminate recycled paper.

Where to learn more: New York Times article on BPA in receipts - Get much more information about this concern from the New York Times Green blog of Nov. 1, 2011.

Final advice: Listen to your husband. He may have something important to say.

Love you John!

About Carla Linster – Carla, 47, is enjoying a “mid-life spring” after overcoming several medical problems. One new joy is working with “an amazing group of women,” the Catawba River Women’s Group, as they seek to create a sense of unity among communities along the Catawba River.