Refuse Register Receipts… or Wear Gloves to Accept Them

Touching register receipts, like those you get from the gas station or grocery store, can transmit high levels of BPA. Using hand sanitizer right before handling the receipt or using hands to eat food right after handling the receipt significantly increased the amount of BPA absorbed into the body.

So, to avoid accumulating this dangerous chemical:

1. Don’t ask for or accept receipts. Save trees at the same time and pat yourself on the back for doing two awesome things at once.
2. If you do take a receipt, use gloves. If you don’t have gloves, wash your hands as soon as possible. But really, why not just carry gloves on you at all times? Surely there’s a pair of gloves stashed in that purse or diaper bag. Everything else seems to be in there except what you actually need these days…

Sources and Further Reading:

• Bernstein, Lenny. “Would you like your receipt? Maybe not, if it’s still coated with BPA.” The Washington Post 2014: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Grossman, Elizabeth. “Why Receipts And Greasy Fingers Shouldn’t Mix.” Time.Com (2014): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Hormann AM, vom Saal FS, Nagel SC, Stahlhut RW, Moyer CL, et al. (2014) “Holding Thermal Receipt Paper and Eating Food after Using Hand Sanitizer Results in High Serum Bioactive and Urine Total Levels of Bisphenol A (BPA).” PLoS ONE 9(10): e110509. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110509
• Investor’s Business, Daily. “BPA ingestion from fast-food.” Investors Business Daily 29 Oct. 2014: A02. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
• Rauber, Paul. “You Can Get a Crazy Amount of BPA from Cash Register Receipts.” Green Life.
• Walter, Patrick. “Receipts Hide Dirty Secret.” Chemistry & Industry 16 (2010): 7. Business Source Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.