How dangerous are bills really to your health?

Here's what doctors and researchers want you to know about the hormone-disrupting chemicals that come out of your cash register. They'll tell you how dangerous your receipts really are.

What toxic chemicals are on the receipt?

The story begins with BPA. About 15 years ago, researchers found that many receipts contained endocrine-disrupting chemicals. As a result, the states of Connecticut and Illinois banned receipts containing BPA. Instead, receipt paper manufacturers introduced BPA-free options.

But BPA-free doesn't always mean bisphenol-free. Some have replaced it with BPS, a BPA 'relative' with a similar chemical structure. In a 2023 study published in the journal Environmental Pollution, Miller and colleagues found bisphenol S in 85% of receipts tested from national and local retailers in the US.

' Because of the structural similarities, there are similarities in how these chemicals act in the body, particularly their ability to interact with hormone receptors, which is the source of their potential toxicity ,' Miller said.

Thermal paper is coated with a thin layer of chemicals, including a developer that reacts with heat to darken the receipt. This developer is usually BPS, which makes up about 1% of the receipt. It may sound small, but studies show that BPA leach from thermal paper faster than from polycarbonate water bottles.

What's more, these chemicals easily flake off thermal paper. Miller says the thin layer of BPS on the receipt is made up of small molecules that are not chemically bonded to other materials around it. While bisphenols typically require heat or wear to release from hard plastics, simply touching the receipt is enough to flake off the chemicals. ' They're absorbed through the skin, and ingestion by touching the face or mouth is also a route of exposure ,' Miller says.

How can chemicals in invoices harm your health?

' Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors ,' said Philip J. Landrigan, PhD, director of the Program on Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston University. ' They are man-made chemicals, and when they get into the human body, they can essentially hijack or hijack the endocrine system and send out disruptive signals to organs in the body, which can cause disease. '

Touching a bill won't change your hormones immediately. However, repeated exposure over time can build up toxins, especially for people who already have hormone-related conditions. It can worsen underlying conditions, especially in people who are overweight, have high cholesterol, or have liver disease.

People who spend a lot of time touching receipts, such as cashiers and restaurant servers, are at the highest risk, according to Dr. Landrigan. ' Especially if one of them is a pregnant woman, and this chemical enters their body, the chemical can be passed on to the baby, and babies in the womb are much more sensitive to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, like bisphenol S, than adults ,' he said.

What is the safest way to handle invoices?

1. Go electronic . When the store gives you the choice between a paper receipt or an email receipt, go with email. It saves paper and reduces chemical exposure. Plus, if you're careful about your records, electronic receipts are probably better.
2. Fold paper receipts quickly. If you receive a paper receipt, fold the printed side inward, as that is the side with the chemical coating. The reverse side does not have the chemical coating, so this is an easy way to minimize exposure.
3. Wash your hands. After touching the receipt, wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible to remove any bisphenol residue from your fingers. Absorption occurs gradually, so washing your hands is a good idea.
4. Wear gloves if you frequently handle receipts. If you handle receipts at work, wear reusable work gloves to minimize bisphenol exposure. Research shows that workers who handled receipts wearing gloves did not have increased BPA levels at the end of their shift, while those who handled receipts with bare hands did. Gloves may also be helpful if you frequently handle shipping. Shipping labels are often made of thermal paper.

Micah Soto

Update 15 September 2025