Can contact with shopping receipts cause cancer? Is bisphenol A in machine-printed receipts really that scary?

gossip

"Bisphenol A in machine-printed receipts can cause cancer"

Shopping receipts contain bisphenol A, a carcinogen. Long-term exposure can cause cancer.

Rumor Analysis

This statement is debatable.

There is no sufficient evidence to prove that bisphenol A can cause cancer. Moreover, the content of bisphenol A in machine-printed receipts is very low, and daily contact generally does not cause any problems. However, bisphenol A is an environmental estrogen, and people who need to be exposed to bisphenol A for a long time still need to pay attention to protection.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical raw material commonly used in modern industry. It is easy to find bisphenol A in machine-printed receipts in banks, supermarkets and other places. Because of the suspicion of carcinogenicity, bisphenol A has always been in the spotlight. So does bisphenol A cause cancer? In addition to carcinogenicity, are there any other hidden dangers?

Why is bisphenol A used in machine-printed receipts?

There are many types of paper used for machine-printed receipts. Depending on the usage scenario, the most suitable variety will be selected. Thermal paper does not require the use of ink, and traces will appear as long as it is heated, which is very popular. Its principle is to apply a layer of thermosensitive coating on the surface of the paper. This coating will undergo a chemical change at high temperature, changing from colorless to black or color, showing the handwriting and achieving the printing effect. Based on this principle, thermal paper is very convenient to use, the equipment is simple, no ink is required, and paper can be printed quickly. However, the disadvantages of thermal paper printing are also obvious. Because the stability of thermal sensitive coating is not high, the handwriting will become blurred after a period of time after printing. Therefore, in daily life, thermal paper receipts usually appear in some scenes with high ticket issuance frequency but low importance, such as bank queue receipts, restaurant and supermarket lists, etc.

Copyrighted stock images, no reproduction is authorized

In the coating of thermal paper, bisphenol A plays a core role. It is called a developer. It is under the action of high temperature that it reacts with the colorless coating component in the coating to finally reveal the handwriting.

Is bisphenol A harmful?

Some people say that bisphenol A is carcinogenic. Although relevant studies have discussed the relationship between bisphenol A and breast cancer cell proliferation, there is still no evidence to prove that bisphenol A is carcinogenic. Therefore, in the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, bisphenol A is still Class 2B, which means there is no definite evidence that it is carcinogenic.

Bisphenol A structural formula But this does not mean that bisphenol A is safe, because it is also an environmental estrogen. Environmental estrogen refers to an estrogen that comes from the environment but plays the same role as estrogen in the organism and is an endocrine disruptor. Its chemical structure is similar to that of natural estrogen, and it can bind to estrogen receptors in the body, thereby inhibiting or enhancing the activity of endogenous hormones. Therefore, when the body ingests too much bisphenol A, the secretion of estrogen is disturbed, and the physiological activities regulated by estrogen will be disordered. These physiological activities mainly include the development of the reproductive system and the development of the nervous system. Therefore, the hazards of bisphenol A intake include but are not limited to: precocious puberty, gonadal dysplasia, fetal developmental abnormalities, nervous system developmental abnormalities, obesity, etc. For adolescents, because they are in the developmental stage, the harm caused by bisphenol A is more significant.

How to avoid the harm of bisphenol A?

As an environmental estrogen, the characteristics of bisphenol A are similar to those of natural hormones, and only a very small amount is needed to affect physiological activities. Therefore, it is worth noting that we are exposed to bisphenol A in daily life, even if the total amount is not large. In the scenario of machine-printed receipts, studies have long found that bisphenol A can be absorbed through the skin and taken into the body.

This issue has long attracted attention, and corresponding restrictions on the production technology of thermal paper have been proposed at home and abroad. For example, in 2014, the European Commission agreed to amend the "REACH Regulation" to require that the content of bisphenol A in thermal paper should not exceed 0.02%. From January 2, 2020, thermal paper with bisphenol A (by weight) exceeding 0.02% shall no longer be put on the European market. Some states in the United States have also passed legislation to ban the use of bisphenol A in thermal paper.

China currently has no official national standard for the bisphenol A content in thermal paper, but the national standard GB/T 28210-2024 "Thermal Paper" to be implemented on April 1, 2025, requires the bisphenol A content to be no higher than 200 mg/kg, or 0.02%, which is the same as the EU requirement. This standard is a recommended standard and does not have mandatory effect, but it provides a reference for industrial production standards.

In general, people who frequently use the machine to print receipts should still pay attention to the hazards of bisphenol A. It is best to wear disposable gloves when operating, and wash hands carefully during work breaks to prevent it from being absorbed through the skin. For those who occasionally come into contact with it, try to avoid contact with the front of the thermal paper, especially to avoid prolonged contact with sweaty parts. After use, it should be discarded to avoid transferring it to other locations and causing secondary contamination.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer divides carcinogens into four categories, of which only one category is a substance that is clearly carcinogenic to humans. There is no clear evidence to prove that other categories will definitely cause cancer. Under normal circumstances, there is no need to worry too much about the latter if it meets the relevant standards of my country. Some rumors will exaggerate the harmfulness of such substances, so everyone should be careful to distinguish them.

Author: Sun Yafei, PhD in Chemistry, Tsinghua University

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association, National Health Science Popularization Expert