Have you noticed some stores ask if you want your receipt by email? Whenever you’re out shopping and running errands; keep in mind that accepting thermal receipts could be hazardous to your health. Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS) are both linked to thermal receipts.
Bisphenol A (BPA) or Bisphenol S (BPS), endocrine disruptors that can get absorbed into our bodies when we touch them on the paper. BPA and BPS have been linked to numerous health risks such as completely altering the male and female reproductive systems, heightening occurrences of breast cancer and abnormal delays in children, according to the World Health Organization. BPA is usually found in products like water and juice bottles, food containers, CDs, DVDs, eyeglass lenses, and many more.
A big threat to our health and our environment are thermal receipts we all use as a society, on the daily basis. Whether you are out buying clothes or just getting gas from your local gas station, avoiding hand contact with these hazardous receipts is close to impossible. These thermal receipts are not printed in ink but rather coated with chemicals that react to heat and color change to create the appearance of printed type. According to Mind the Store campaign director Mike Schade, “These chemicals can leach from the receipt, get onto our hand and make their way into our bloodstream,” Shade says, “Exposure to bisphenol chemicals has been linked to cancer, fertility issues and more.” After doing a ton of research on these receipts, I personally recommend anyone who uses these receipts on a daily basis; like cashiers, to use gloves while handling this toxic material. Also, recommend employees to wash their hands before eating as it is easy for those chemicals to get into one’s system and or bloodstream. With that being said, it seems as though avoiding these receipts are impossible, as stated above. However, there are ways to steer clear of them.
Here are three great alternatives one could go about using in order to avoid BPA and BPS chemicals.
1. E-Receipts: In reality, E-Receipts will be apart of our future and ultimately the norm of our society. Just like online purchases, E-Receipts will make buying things simpler. As of now though, thermal/paper receipts are the boulder of our generation. Almost, every store and gas station on planet earth uses these thermal receipts, not knowing the risk. Starting today, when asked if you’d like to receive a receipt for any purchase. Reply with a polite no and instead request for an E-Receipt, as that’s the healthier and safest alternative.
2. Stainless Steel/ Glass: Just like thermal/paper receipts, plastic reusable water bottles are extremely popular and will stay that way for quite a while. The benefits that are in using plastic reusable water bottles are plentiful; using reusable water bottles will save you money, help keep our trees alive, and more. However, the negative facts of using reusable water bottles outweigh the positive. According to www.mayoclinic.org, BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. Once reading that, one should want to stay away from such hazardous material. A better alternative would be stainless steel or glass.
3. Sanitize/Wash your hands: BPA and BPS chemicals can easily get on your hands, which in turn would end up in your mouth; that’s the last thing you would want to happen. So keep your hands and the hands of your children sanitized as much as possible to avoid those hazardous chemicals.
For your health, avoid accepting receipts as they cause numerous disadvantages to your health. Instead, turn to the safer alternatives that will result in a healthier life.
