Some so-called 'thermal' till receipts contain bisphenols (including BPA and BPS) as a result of the way they're printed. In the UK, BPA receipts are banned, but BPS receipts are not.
A 2023 estimate of US receipts suggested that 80 per cent contain BPAs.
Is that a problem? BPAs are commonly found in a range of consumer products, including plastic water bottles and canned food.
Our bodies usually break these chemicals down and pass them through our urine, although some researchers warn they are endocrine disruptors that interrupt with certain hormones in our bodies.
Links have also been made between BPAs and cancer, but Cancer Research UK says there's insufficient evidence for this.
If in doubt, just leave the receipt. It'll only end up in the bin anyway.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Calum Torres, Norwich) 'Are receipts really covered in chemicals?'
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