Medicosnext
A recent publication in the esteemed journal Environmental Health Perspectives has highlighted the potential health hazards associated with a commonly used material: thermal paper, used in printing receipts. The main culprit here is bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting agent present in thermal paper, raising significant alarms within medical circles. If you have ever bought infant feeding bottles, you might have come across the label ‘BPA-free’. The ‘BPA-free’ label on infant feeding bottles reflects a conscious effort by manufacturers to mitigate potential harm to infants’ health in that the harm to the human is well understood.
This study zeroed in on individuals routinely handling thermal paper, particularly cashiers and store clerks. Remarkably, these people displayed markedly heightened levels of BPA in their urine compared to non-handlers. BPA, acknowledged for its capacity to disrupt the endocrine system governing hormonal equilibrium, has been implicated in a spectrum of health problems encompassing reproductive irregularities, developmental intricacies, and specific malignancies.
Medical experts are therefore stressing on the need for heightened vigilance and proactive measures to mitigate BPA exposure stemming from thermal paper. These measures encompass minimizing unnecessary contact with thermal paper receipts, rigorous hand hygiene protocols post-handling, advocating for digital receipts whenever feasible aimed at decreasing the need for direct contact with receipts.
Further investigations are crucial to find out the actual health risks associated with BPA exposure from thermal paper. Till then let us adhere to these pragmatic measures as a crucial step toward substantially curtailing exposure. Such measures hold the promise of safeguarding individual health from the latent threats posed by BPA lurking within thermal paper.
