Is BPA on Thermal Paper A Health Risk – Essential Points to Consider

Is BPA on Thermal Paper a Health Risk?

Bisphenol A or BPA is a special chemical that is coated on thermal paper. This chemical reacts when exposed to heat and produces an image or text on the paper. It does not require any ink to print and offers fast printing. Therefore, due to their cost-effectiveness and durability, thermal paper with BPA is widely used in different industries.

BPA or Bisphenol A was invented by a Russian chemist in the 1890s. Initially, it was considered to be used as an artificial estrogen as it very closely mimicked the effects of estrogen in the body.

Unfortunately, human exposure to BPA is a serious concern because it can lead to various health issues such as reproductive disorders, immunity, or problems related to the brain or prostate gland. When you know why is BPA bad for you, let’s go through the below points to know about BPA side effects and why you should consider using a BPA free thermal paper: –

Leads to Reproductive Disorders

BPA is a toxic chemical that can lead to various reproductive disorders in humans. For instance, BPA exposure affects egg maturation. Apart from this, it can also affect puberty and often leads to infertility.

Heart Diseases

BPA in receipts leads to various cardiovascular or heart diseases, including heart attack, angina, coronary artery heart disease, hypertension, etc. Apart from this, it can also affect blood pressure levels.

Type 2 diabetes

Human exposure to BPA impacts insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Therefore, you should try using BPA-free thermal paper receipts to avoid severe health risks.

Weight Gain

Exposure to Bisphenol A can lead to weight gain. It can also interrupt insulin resistance or production as well as fat cell production.

Thyroid and Endocrine Dysfunction

BPA works as an endocrine disruptor which means that it is an outside material that can mimic a natural body hormone and over-responding. For instance, it can lead to weight gain through growth hormones. Apart from this, it can cause insulin production when it is not needed, which leads to various diseases.

Fetal brain development

According to research, environmental exposure to BPA can affect the developing brain during gestation. It may include changes in structural development, abnormal estrogen regulation, or DNA modification. Apart from this, it can also lead to anxiety after birth.

Prostate and Breast Cancer

Other adverse health effects of BPA include prostate, breast, or many other types of cancer. Those who have experienced chemical exposure in the womb are at high risk of developing cancers.   

Asthma

Apart from cancer and brain abnormalities, BPA in receipts also increases the risk of asthma or wheezing.

Therefore, BPA-free thermal paper is recommended over the thermal paper containing BPA. However, we understand that it is not possible to completely avoid using BPA thermal paper. Hence, you should use it healthily by following the tips given in the next section.

Tips to use BPA thermal paper healthily

Wear Nitrile Gloves

You can wear nitrile gloves while handling a BPA-coated receipt paper. This tip is useful for people like cashiers, who must be in contact with thermal paper constantly. Moreover, you should also wear gloves while handling or cleaning the BPA receipt machines or while channid the receipt rolls to avoid BPA health effects.

Do not handle with greasy hands

You should not handle the thermal paper receipt with greasy hands or use an alcohol-based sanitizer to avoid the BPA dangers. Alcohol-based sanitizers or lotions increase the skin’s ability to absorb BPA. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid touching a thermal paper after or before applying the alcohol-based liquid. Instead of this, you can use running water with soap.

Store it away from other items

You should keep the thermal paper away from other things. You can put it in a separate pocket in your bag away from items like coins, food, etc. On the other hand, you should store them in a sealed plastic bag or envelope to avoid unnecessary contact at home.

Don’t recycle BPA receipts

BPA receipt paper should not be recycled as it will end up being used in paper towels, shopping bags, etc. Apart from this, the chemical waste produced during the recycling process is harmful to the environment. Therefore, the best solution for this is to use BPA-free receipt paper.

Keep it away from the high-risk population

BPA in receipts or any other item poses more risk to infants, small children, nursing mothers, and pregnant women. Therefore, you must keep it away from the high-risk population to save them from BPA dangers.

Avoid hand-to-mouth contact

As we mentioned earlier, the group of people exposed the most to thermal paper are cashiers, store clerks, etc. They have to be in frequent contact with the BPA receipt paper. Therefore, it is advisable for them to avoid touching their mouth or lips after handling the receipts.

Keep washing hands

After going through the points we discussed in the previous section, you must have understood what does BPA does to the body. Therefore, if you cannot avoid being in contact with the BPA thermal paper, you must remember to wash your hands frequently. Consequently, it becomes even more crucial to wash your hands before eating, cooking, or touching food items to avoid BPA health effects.

Conclusion

BPA is a toxic chemical that can lead to various serious and non-treatable diseases in humans. For example, constant exposure to Bisphenol A can cause reproductive disorders, brain abnormalities, infertility, thyroid, and many others that we have discussed in this blog. Moreover, you should also remember that the BPA impact can also be transgenerational.

Therefore, it is recommended to avoid using or coming in frequent contact with BPA thermal papers. However, all those who cannot avoid using BPA paper can apply the above tips to ensure that you use BPA thermal receipt paper healthily. Moreover, you can also opt for BPA-free thermal paper.