Synthetic estrogen BPA coats cash registerreceipts EWG commissioned lab tests findBPA-laden receipts from big national retailers

by Sonya LunderPublished July 27th, 2010

The plastic component bisphenolA (BPA) has been in the headlinesnonstop as scientists, healthexperts and consumers press for afederal ban on food packagingmade with this synthetic estrogen,shown to leach readily into infantformula, beverages and canned

food. But most Americans are probably unaware that they are regularly exposed to the sameendocrine-disrupting chemical in cash register receipts.

Two-fifths of the paper receipts tested by a major laboratory commissioned by EnvironmentalWorking Group were on heat-activated paper that was between 0.8 to nearly 3 percent pure BPAby weight. Wipe tests conducted with a damp laboratory paper easily picked up a portion of thereceipts' BPA coating, indicating that the chemical would likely stick to the skin of anyone whohandled them. The receipts came from major retailers, grocery stores, convenience stores, gasstations, fast-food restaurants, post offices and automatic teller machines (ATMs).

Major retailers using BPA-containing receipts in at least some outlets included McDonald's,CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, Walmart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service. Receipts from somemajor chains, including Target, Starbucks and Bank of America ATMs, issued receipts that wereBPA-free or contained only trace amounts.

Scientists have not determined how much of a receipt's BPA coating can transfer to the skin andfrom there into the body. Possibilities being explored include:

Oral exposure -- BPA moves from receipts onto fingers and then onto food and into themouth.

Dermal exposure -- BPA from receiptsis directly absorbed through theskin into the body.

A study published July 11 by Swissscientists found that BPA transfers readilyfrom receipts to skin and can penetrate theskin to such a depth that it cannot bewashed off (Biedermann 2010). This raises

the possibility that the chemical infiltrates the skin's lowerlayers to enter the bloodstream directly. BPA has also beenshown to penetrate skin in laboratory studies (Kaddar2008).

EWG collected 36 receipts and commissioned theUniversity of Missouri Division of Biological Scienceslaboratory to investigate their BPA content. This laboratoryis considered one of the world's foremost research facilitiesin its capability to detect environmentally relevant BPAconcentrations.

The Missouri scientists found that the total mass of BPA ona receipt is 250 to 1,000 times greater than the amount of

BPA typically found in a can of food or a can of baby formula, or that which leaches from aBPA-based plastic baby bottle into its contents. These data should not be interpreted to suggestthat policymakers shift their focus from BPA contamination of food, which is widespread, toreceipts. BPA exposure from food sources is ubiquitous and should remain the first priority ofU.S. policymakers. However, a significant portion of the public may also be exposed to BPA byhandling receipts. Since many retailers do not use BPA-laden thermal paper, this particular routeof exposure is easy to correct.

Biomonitoring surveys by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have foundBPA in the bodies of 93 percent of Americans over age 6. EWG analysis of CDC data has foundthat people who reported working in retail industries had 30 percent more BPA in their bodiesthan the average U.S. adult, and 34 percent more BPA than other workers. (CDC 2004). As ofMay 2009, 1 in 17 working Americans -- 7 million people -- were employed as retailsalespersons and cashiers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

EWG's biomonitoring study of minority newborns, published last December, found BPA in 9 of10 samples, marking the first detections of the chemical in the cord blood of U.S. infants. EWGhas published a Safe Baby Bottle and Formula Guide to help parents of infants avoid BPA andother harmful substances during this critical window of development.

In animal tests, scientists have produced evidence that BPA can induce abnormalreproductive system development, diminished intellectual capacity and behavioral abnormalitiesand can set the stage for other serious conditions, such as reproductive system cancer, obesity,diabetes, early puberty, resistance to chemotherapy, asthma and cardiovascular system disorders.It has caused epigenetic changes, meaning alterations in the way genes switch off and on andgenetic changes that can be passed on to the next generations.

Frequent exposures to relatively large amounts of BPA in receipts are an obvious concern toevery shopper, but even more so to the legions of people who staff cash registers and baggroceries at tens of thousands of retailers across the country. These workers handle BPA-loadedreceipts hundreds of times a day, with as yet unknown consequences for their health (Biedermannet al 2010). According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May2009, the two largest U.S. occupations were “retail salespersons” and “cashiers,” with more than

7 million Americans in those jobs.

Retail workers carry an average of 30 percent more BPA in their bodies than other adults, It isunclear how much BPA-coated receipts contribute to people's total exposure to the ubiquitousplastics chemical. What is certain, however, is that since many retail outlets already use BPA-freepaper for their receipts, this is one source of contamination that could easily be eliminatedcompletely.

Thermal paper is widely used for point-of-sale receipts, prescription labels, airline tickets andlottery tickets. Thermal printers use paper that is coated with a dye and developer (BPA or analternative chemical). Heat from the thermal printing head triggers a reaction between the dyeand developer, allowing the black print to appear.

In an effort to quantify how much BPA would transfer to a person’s hand, the laboratoryperformed wipe tests on four BPA-laden receipts. In all four cases, BPA transferred from thereceipts to the wipes. An average of 2.4 percent of the receipts’ total BPA content wiped off,suggesting that a person who handled receipts would be exposed to some BPA in the thermalpaper. There have been no published studies of BPA residues inside pockets, purses and wallets,on wet produce in grocery bags or on the hands of people after they crumpled and discarded areceipt.

Since 60 percent of the receipts EWG collected did not have significant levels of BPA, it isapparent that many retailers are using alternatives. The leading U.S. thermal paper maker,Wisconsin-based Appleton Papers Inc., no longer incorporates BPA in any of its thermal papers(Raloff 2009). Reacting to concerns about the toxicity of BPA, the Japan Paper Associationbegan to halt the use of BPA in 1998, completing the phase-out by 2003 (AIST 2007). EWG'sanalysis of three receipts collected in Japan at KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks found only traceamounts of BPA. In addition, 11 of 13 U.S.-based retailers whose receipts EWG tested used non-BPA paper in at least one outlet.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated a program to evaluate thesafety and availability of alternatives to BPA in thermal paper (EPA 2010).

EWG urges retailers to use BPA-free paper and to consider paperless options such as emailedelectronic receipts. These measures could greatly reduce the volume of BPA disseminated by theretail industry and save paper in the bargain. Retailers should make public the identity of anychemicals used in the alternative they select. Very little information is publicly available on thenow-common BPA alternatives for thermal receipts.

Tips to reduce exposures to BPA in receipts

Minimize receipt collection by declining receipts at gas pumps, ATMs and other machineswhen possible.

Store receipts separately in an envelope in a wallet or purse.

Never give a child a receipt to hold or play with.

After handling a receipt, wash hands before preparing and eating food (a universally

recommended practice even for those who have not handled receipts).

Do not use alcohol-based hand cleaners after handling receipts. A recent study showed thatthese products can increase the skin's BPA absorption (Biedermann 2010).

Take advantage of store services that email or archive paperless purchase records.

Do not recycle receipts and other thermal paper. BPA residues from receipts will contaminaterecycled paper.

If you are unsure, check whether paper is thermally treated by rubbing it with a coin. Thermalpaper discolors with the friction; conventional paper does not.

Methodology and Findings. EWG collected 36 receipts from retailers in seven states and theDistrict of Columbia:

Ten national retail and service chains, including Walmart, Chevron and McDonald's;

Three government establishments - the U.S. Postal Service and the cafeterias in the U.S.House of Representatives and Senate; and

One local supermarket in Colorado.

We contracted with the analytical laboratory at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Divisionof Biological Sciences to perform the analysis. The laboratory weighed, measured andphotographed the receipts, dissolved them in an alcohol, then analyzed them for BPA using asensitive, standard BPA test method (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) withCoulArray detection).

The laboratory detected substantial amounts of BPA on 16 of 36 receipts at an average amount of1.9 percent by weight, and a range of 0.8 to 2.8 percent (Table 1).

Table 1. Test Results - BPA in store receipts

Establishment wherereceipt wasobtained

Location

Total massof BPA onreceipt(milligrams)

Size ofreceipt(squarecentimeters)

Mass ofBPArelative tomass ofreceipt

Mass of BPA relative tosurface area of receipt(micrograms of BPAper square centimeter)

Percent of BPAthat rubbed offof receipt ontowet wipe

U.S. retailers

NationalSupermarkets

Safeway

Berkeley,CA

20.7 1,006 2.8% 35.9

Boulder,CO

20.6 1,575 1.8% 14.93.80%

Washington,DC

41.0 2,671 2.1% 10.1

WholeFoods

Superior,CO

10.8 902 1.8% 25.7 0.71%

Portland,OR

0.0005 1,911 0.0% 0.00

Gasstation

Chevron

Berkeley,CA

0.0084 456 0.002% 0.06 *

Portland,OR

4.89 382 1.6% 52.9

Stafford,VA

2.98 400 0.8% 27.3

Pharmacy

CVS Sacramento,CA

0.0008 1,258 0.0% 0.00

Clinton,CT

0.0009 882 0.0% 0.00

Kensington,MD

28.8 2,294 1.7% 9.68

Food Starbucks

Boulder,CO

0.0000* 739 0.0% 0.00 *

Ames, IA 0.0206 805 0.003% 0.05

Wheaton,MD

0.0208 938 0.003% 0.04

Portland,OR

0.0164 739 0.003% 0.05

KFC Boulder,CO

9.36 591 2.2% 48.6 2.88%

Ames, IA 0.0001* 498 0.0% 0.00

Wheaton,MD

10.64 836 1.7% 27.0

McDonalds

Superior,CO

0.0002 724 0.0% 0.00 *

Clinton,CT

13.3 703 2.7% 48.9

Washington,DC

9.07 739 1.4% 25.0

Superstores

Target Albany,CA

ND 765 ND ND

Superior,CO

0.0001* 617 0.0% 0.00

Wheaton,MD

ND 1,126 ND ND *

Walmart

Ames, IA 0.0001* 2,069 0.0% 0.00

*

Portland,OR

0.0003 1,325 0.0% 0.00

Stafford,VA

16.3 1,091 2.1% 25.2

Banks

BankofAmerica

Berkeley,CA

ND 805 ND ND

Clinton,CT

ND 954 ND ND

Wheaton,MD

ND 765 ND ND

Localsupermarket

SunflowerFarmersMarket

Boulder,CO

0.145 994 0.017% 0.22

Government establishments

U.S. PostalService

Boulder,CO

23.6 1,600 2.0% 16.42.21%

Clinton,CT

22.7 1,539 2.0% 17.0

Washington,DC

16.6 1,249 1.9% 19.1

U.S. HouseofRepresentativesCafeteria

Washington,DC

5.42 494 1.3% 32.8

U.S. SenateCafeteria

Washington,DC

0.00 540 0.0% 0.00

Retailers in Japan

KentuckyFriedChicken

Sendai,Japan

0.0014 570 0.0% 0.01

McDonalds Send

ai,Japan

ND

ai,Japan

Three provided receipts that were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts at all locations -

352

ai,Japan

Three provided receipts that were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts at all locations -

Three provided receipts that were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts at all locations -Agency, Design for the Environment. Washington DC.

ND

ai,Japan

Three provided receipts that were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts at all locations -Agency, Design for the Environment. Washington DC.piece of lab wipe (KimWipe) was lightly dampened with methanol and wiped in a zigzag fashion