Posted by: Dena Schmidt, staff writer

July 16, 2018

A recent study of store receipt effects by Stockholm University and University of Alberta has determined that BPA is absorbed through the skin when we handle the register paper. The study also showed that bisphenol A absorbed through the skin tends to stay within the body considerably longer than BPA that is ingested in food.

Surprising evidence about the toxic effect of BPA
For the study, the researchers had subjects handle store receipts for 5 minutes. They then wore gloves for 2 hours before they washed their hands. Their urine was tested both before and after the study period for levels of BPA.

BPA measurements for BPA were highest within the first 2 minutes following the experiment. However, even after a week, half of the participants showed bisphenol A in their urine.  And, as an example, if you have high blood pressure – this should be a concern of yours.

By comparison, subjects that consumed a cookie containing BPA were able to clear it out much quicker. And, while they tested higher for BPA in the 5 hours following BPA consumption, it had left their bodies within 24 hours.

Warning: BPA is a known endocrine disruptor
Handling a receipt may seem like a safe and innocuous activity – something most people do every day. However, doing so can be more harmful than using plastic water bottles or other containers that could result in the consumption of BPA.

While the study period was 5 minutes, just 5 seconds of exposure is long enough to transfer some BPA through your skin and into your bloodstream. You’ll absorb up to 10 times as much if your fingers are moist or oily.

Paper money, grocery lists and coupons stored with register receipts can take on traces of BPA and lead to more exposure.

Research has linked BPA with causing an imbalance in the body’s hormones. The endocrine disruptor can negatively impact the metabolism, immune system and the reproductive system. It can even cause cancer.

BPA is also linked with poor sperm quality, reproductive dysfunction, early puberty, thyroid problems, insulin resistance, heart disease, obesity and autoimmune diseases. It is especially toxic to developing babies in pregnant mothers due to its ability to raise the chances of a miscarriage, chromosomal errors and other genetic problems.

Endocrine disruptor exposure risk from BPA worse than we thought
In addition to being used in plastic bottles, food containers, tin can liners and register receipt paper, BPA is also used in contact lenses, dental sealants and electronic plastics.  Straws, plastic lids, ATM receipts and airline tickets also contain this endocrine disruptor.

Keep in mind, exposure to excessive light, heat or acidic foods can increase the release of BPA considerably.
Just about everyone handles at least one receipt throughout the course of a day. But what about cashiers, who handle hundreds of receipts each day?  Their job is now a potential health hazard.

However, with BPA in so many food packaging materials, so is shopping at a grocery store.  Bottom line, be careful out there in this toxic world.

Sources for this article include:
Cen.Acs.org
 DrFlannery.com
 ScienceDirect.com

ref: https://www.naturalhealth365.com/bpa-dangerous-chemicals-2631.html

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The message loses credibility when it does not describe the way BPA gets into store receipts.
There are more than one type of store receipt.
Which type has the BPA problem?
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Is it the thermal printer paper that's the problem?
Or is it ink printer paper that has BPA in it?
Or is it a particular TYPE of ink with BPA in it?
What kind of receipts were used in the study?
Do they presume that readers won't be able to distinguish one type of receipt paper from another?

Yes, I understand that you are trying to determine the variables that could render an experiment invalid. However, does it really matter where the BPA is, whether it is in the ink or the thermal printer paper itself?

I understand that thermal printer paper itself might have more BPA due to the higher content of plastic in it. The thermal ink no doubt is soy-based with some plasticides in it too as plasticides are found almost everywhere today.

Thus, consumers should not be surprised to find BPA in the softer toilet papers, facial tissues such as Kleenex, and paper towels as manufacturers are adding more plastic in those products too to make them more durable. We know that BPA is present in canned foods, plastic food wraps, plastic storage bags, plastic containers, plastic dishes, and plastic water bottles. It is also used to make paper plates, cups, and bowls. And sadly, almost all children's toys made of plastic will have BPA or a dangerous substitute that is not much safer.

Bottom line: whenever I handle any kind of store receipts, they all make my fingers itch intensely.
Thus, it is good that I do not work as a cashier. Such a job could have caused serious health issues.

Thankfully, most people don't rub their fingers on store receipts for 5 minutes like the study had the participants do.  I usually just take 2 seconds to stuff them in my pocket.

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What I was getting at is the fact that by omitting the means or the vehicle by which BPA gets into the receipts, it leaves open the whole topic.
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What is a store receipt, and why are they so focused on that one thing?
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A store receipt is a piece of paper with printed information on it. Can you think of any other pieces of paper with printing?
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Let's see:
-- paper money
-- newspapers and magazines
-- Church bulletins
-- Concert/play programs
-- deck of playing cards
-- road maps and Starbucks coffee cups
-- Xerox copies
-- Snail mail
-- business cards
-- traffic tickets
-- Bishop Fellay's AFD
-- The SSPX Cor Unum
-- Fr. Brucciani's The Flying Squirrel
-- The Catholic Family News
-- The Holy Bible
-- Jack London's The Sea Wolf
-- Hitler's Mein Kampf
-- a book of safety matches
-- the box of cereal you poured out this morning for breakfast
-- the paperwork you handle all day long at work
-- restaurant menus
-- handouts students get in school
-- textbooks they spend hours studying every day
-- every packaged food you pick up on the way to the register
-- coupons you stare at and study for 10 minutes before getting your receipt
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They never say what it is about store receipts that make them so terribly suspect of BPA content.
They never compare store receipts to other kinds of printed materials for a sense of importance.
They never mention any other kind of printed material as a matter of concern.
They never say what BPA is doing FOR the receipt, that is, why not just leave it out? What's its purpose?
They never mention what BPA is supposed to accomplish in ANYTHING, wherever it occurs.
Is BPA a toxic waste that is there as an unnecessary by-product of some essential process?
Does BPA result from the chemical reaction of two other chemicals that happen to be in receipts for some reason?
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None of these issues are addressed.
You, the reader, are expected to implicitly trust the fact that a study was done without knowing why it was done.
Perhaps there is an anti-BPA lobby that's out to make a lot of money by banning BPA.
Or perhaps there is an industry with BPA-extraction chemicals ready for sale just waiting for the demand to increase.
Who knows?

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Bottom line:
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from heating food in the microwave when it's wrapped in plastic than you are from handling store receipts.
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from rubbing on body lotion than you are from handling store receipts.
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from drinking especially hot beverages from plastic cups than you are from handling store receipts.
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from walking barefoot on PVC flooring than you are from handling store receipts.
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from drinking water from a plastic hose or PVC water pipe system than you are from handling store receipts.
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You're FAR MORE LIKELY to get BPA into your system from chewing on a plastic baby toy or pacifier -- even as an adult! than you are from handling store receipts.
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So where is THAT to be found in the article on store receipts.
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They still haven't managed to explain what BPA would be doing in the store receipts any more than it is in practically anything else in our environment. IOW the whole thing has the air of BOGUS about it.
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IOW someone is trying to stir up a subliminal reluctance to touch receipts with your fingers -- perhaps to cut down on paper consumption, like "save a tree" -- but I suspect it's more likely the push to get people off the habit of relying on paper records, in order to get us HOOKED on using our smart phone or e-mail for everything, "go paperless" -- such that when the whole grid crashes and all the computers suddenly don't work, then nobody will be able to prove that they paid a bill or had money in their account or went to court last week on time. Whatever. If you relied on paperless, you'll be out in the cold. 
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I was in a cell phone store recently and found that 3 other customers came in to pay their phone bill and opted for the "paperless" receipt after stuffing paper cash into an ATM-like kiosk robot. When I went to use the thing, it stopped working and I had to get assistance. The store clerk managed to get the whole thing done using another device and asked for my e-mail address to send the receipt. I said I wanted a printed receipt. She seemed surprised I wanted one, so I took the opportunity to ask why so many people pay their bill with CASH and don't want a paper receipt. Another customer happened to be standing there, and both ladies chimed in like a chorus, answering me that they don't like to carry paper receipts around and e-mail is so much simpler.
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So there you have it. Let's all get hooked on presuming the Internet will always be there, then when it's not, we can be really lost.
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One of the nice things about Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice is, their bottles are BPA-free.
So you can use the empty bottle for three things:
1 -- keep it around as a reminder of how delicious the juice was when you drank it
2 -- fill it up with filtered water and drink that, wishing it were another full bottle of juice
3 -- in the end you can turn it in for a cash refund at the recycle center.

......just don't hold your receipt in your fingers while you drink it I guess.....
 

ref: https://www.naturalhealth365.com/bpa-dangerous-chemicals-2631.html


Endocrine disruptor exposure risk from BPA worse than we thought
In addition to being used in plastic bottles, food containers, tin can liners and register receipt paper, BPA is also used in contact lenses, dental sealants and electronic plastics.  Straws, plastic lids, ATM receipts and airline tickets also contain this endocrine disruptor.

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