Cash register can be a BPA polluter
from foodconsumer.org by David Liu
Cash registers from your favorite retailers or service providers may be an important source of environmental pollution. A new study has found almost 40 percent of thermal paper receipts tested contain high levels of bisphenol A or BPA and worse yet, you could not tell which contains EPA and which does not by visual inspection.
Bispehnol A, a biologically active estrogen mimic that is an endocrine disruptor, has been known to cause problems with brain, behavioral or reproductive system in young children, according to a comprehensive report released early by the U.S. National Toxicology Program. For instance, exposure to BPA has been linked to early puberty in girls and increased risk of breast cancer
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The NTP says “The NTP has some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A.”
Studies have showed that even an extremely low level of bisphenol A like parts per billion (PPB) can be risky. Sufficient evidence has prompted Canada and some states in the United States to consider a ban on polycarbonate plastic for baby bottles, which often contain EPA.
It is news that cash register is a source of BPA contamination even though it’s been known for long that thermal paper contains bisphenol A. The widely publicized sources of BPA pollution are infant formula and polycarbonate plastic-based food and beverage containers like water bottles.
The new study sponsored by the Environmental Working Group or EWG and released July 27 says that sweaty fingers or hands can wipe off a few percentage of EPA from the thermal paper receipts. Because of this, they can be particularly risky for children.
For the study, University of Missouri researchers commissioned by the EWG tested 36 receipts from a variety of stores, banks, restaurants or cafeteria including Safeway, Whole Foods, Walmart, Chevron, McDonald’s, Bank of America, the U.S. Postal Service, Cafeterias in the House of Representatives and US senate, Fast Food franchises like Starbucks, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and McDonald’s in Japan.
As a result, bisphenol A showed up in all but seven thermal paper receipts and sixteen had an average 1.9 percent BPA by weight of a receipt.
One early study presented at a European Conference indicated that BPA from thermal paper could end up in recycled goods such as toilet paper, according to Science News.
In 2004, one study led by Martin Gehring and colleagues from Department of Waste Management, Dresden University of technology in Germany showed that BPA contaminated recycled paper products like toilet paper.
The current study found a receipt from Safeway contains the highest amount of EPA, 2.8 percent by weight of the receipt.
Science News reported that one receipt from a McDonald’s Happy Meal purchased in Clinton Conn carried about 13 mg of BPA, which is equivalent to the amount of bisphenol A found in 126 cans of Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Beef Ravioli in Hearty Tomato & Meat Sauce.
Next time when you receive a purchase receipt from a cash register, make sure you dispose the receipt properly.
David Liu