Cash register receipts contain BPA, a disputed toxic chemical

TAMPA - Bisphenol-A or BPA is a chemical used in the making of plastic bottles and containers.  Some say the chemical is toxic, and now it is being found in something all of us carry - regular old cash register receipts.

The Environmental Working Group says 40 percent of receipts they tested had substantial amounts of Bisphenol-A, or BPA.

"Bisphenol-A or BPA is a chemical used in the making of plastic bottles or plastic food containers and there are some side effects to them," said Victor Karydis, a nutritionist at Abby's Health & Nutrition in Tampa.

As a dad, he has concerns about the chemical and said he avoids products that contain it.

"Studies have shown there can be potential side effects in brain function and also in the prostate," Karydis explained.

Dr. Robert Wei, a chemist at Cleveland State University, says while BPA continues to be used as a plastic hardener in bottles and cans, he says the evidence doesn't really show a substantial risk.

However, it’s also being used on cash register receipts. Some say its use should be, at the very least, restricted.

"I feel that they should whenever possible, they should replace it with a kind of paper that does not contain the BPA," says Dr. Wei.

When the Washington-based Environmental Working Group analyzed receipts, it found BPA on samples from businesses such as McDonald’s, KFC, CVS, Whole Foods, and Walmart. Receipts from places like Starbucks and Target showed only trace amounts or no BPA.

So how do you know if you're handling a receipt with BPA? You don't. Nor does anyone really know yet what the actual risk is.

"We just have too many man-made chemicals for which we know little about," says Dr. Wei.

He also says if you work at a register and handle receipts regularly, latex gloves are a good idea.

For the rest of us who handle them occasionally, wash your hands with soap and water - not hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer, he says, could allow the BPA to absorb into your system more quickly.