Receipts: A Hidden Hormone Danger?

Receipts contain BPA, a common hormone disrupting chemical that contributes to hormone problems.

If you want to support your hormone health, then you may want to start saying “no” to your receipts.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical often used to coat thermal paper receipts (found in store receipts, plane/train tickets, luggage tags, movie tickets, and prescription bottle labels).

Studies have found that individual thermal receipts can contain BPA that is 250 to 1,000x greater than the amount in a can of food, and they’ve found that the amount of BPA in the blood after handling a receipt can be more than if a similar amount were consumed.

Why does this matter? BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that can have hormone-disruptive properties and is linked to health issues such as hormone imbalances, cancer, obesity, and even attention disorders. 

BPA is absorbed into the body through the skin when you touch these receipts, *especially* if your hands have recently had sanitizer or moisturizer on them.

Now, not ALL receipts have BPA, as some retailers are transitioning to phenol-free receipt paper. You can test if a piece of paper contains BPA by scratching the printed side. If you see a dark mark, the paper is thermal and probably contains BPA.

What to do about all of this? Say no thank you to receipts if you don’t need them, ask for a virtual receipt instead (thankfully becoming increasingly common), or if you do really need it pull down your sleeve and grab it with that, or just have the cashier put it directly in your shopping bag and you can get it when you get home.

And of course, it’s essential to support your body’s detoxification pathways using nutrition & lifestyle. To get support improving your detoxification and hormone health you can schedule a free call with me here.