Why Consumers Should Skip Receipt Slips

Nearly every day we encounter thermal paper receipts — those lightly coated slips from the grocery store, clothing store, gas station and the like. Now, a recent analysis by non-profit Green America highlights the toxicity of those receipts through its Skip the Slip initiative. Because as it turns out, an estimated 93 percent of these receipts are coated with Bisphenol A (BPA) or Bisphenol S (BPS), endocrine disruptors that can get absorbed into our bodies when we touch them on the paper.

At the non-profit Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, team members are working with leading retailers on creating comprehensive chemicals policies as part of their Mind the Store campaign. But while efforts have been made to limit or stop use of BPA or BPS in products like canned food and baby bottles, receipts have not followed suit, says Mind the Store campaign director Mike Schade.

“The chemicals can leach from the receipt, get onto our hands and make their way into our bloodstream,” Schade says. “Exposure to bisphenol chemicals has been linked to cancer, fertility issues and more.”

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