Study Links Thermal Receipt Paper to BPA Levels in Humans
A recent study has purportedly found that “a very large amount of BPA
[bisphenol A] is transferred from thermal paper to a hand as a result of
holding a thermal receipt for only a few seconds immediately after using
a product with dermal penetration chemicals.” Annette Hormann, et al.,
“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, October 2014. Designed to mimic scenarios common in fast-food
restaurants, the study measured dermal, serum and urine BPA levels in subjects asked to use hand sanitizer, handle a receipt and then consume 10
french fries.
The data evidently showed that holding a thermal receipt for 45 seconds
after using a hand sanitizer “resulted in the maximum amount of BPA that
was swiped from the palm and fingers,” though this measurement “likely
underestimates the amount of free BPA transferred from the print surface of
thermal paper.” Noting that hand sanitizers often contain “dermal penetration
enhancing chemicals that can increase by up to 100 fold the dermal absorption
of lipophilic compounds such as BPA,” the study’s authors reported that
“there was a dramatic increase” in serum unconjugated BPA in both men and
women who handled receipt paper after using sanitizer. They also found a
high level of urine total BPA (approximately 20 µg BPA per gram of creatinine)
collected 90 minutes after dermal and oral exposure to the substance.
“Our study provides the first data that thermal paper may be a significant
factor in accounting for high levels of bioactive BPA in human serum and
total BPA in urine that have been associated with diseases that are increasing
in frequency in human populations,” concluded the University of Missouri
researchers. “Our findings also suggest that the impact of the use of dermal
penetration enhancing chemicals in skin care products on transdermal
absorption of environmental contaminants should be taken into consideration
in risk assessments and should be a priority for future research.”
Issue 542
