A Doctor Who Studies Toxic Chemicals Explains Why He Avoids Paper Receipts

Plastics and the chemicals they carry are everywhere, from our air and water to the products we use every day. But researchers like Dr. Leonardo Trasande know the unexpected places where these chemicals sneak into our lives—like the receipts handed to you at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants.

"We don't think of thermal paper receipts as plastic, but that shiny coating is a polymer on top. Where there is plastic, chemicals of concern come along for the ride."

— Dr. Leonardo Trasande, Professor of Pediatrics and Environmental Health Researcher at NYU Langone

The Bisphenol Problem

Receipts are usually made of thermal paper, designed to print using heat-sensitive inks. This makes for cheap, on-the-spot printing. However, this thermal paper usually contains bisphenols, a class of chemicals used to manufacture plastics.

The most famous bisphenol, BPA, has been linked to heart disease, decreased fertility, breast and prostate cancers, and neurodevelopmental issues in children. While BPA has been largely phased out over the past decade, manufacturers simply replaced it with its cousin, BPS.

BPS is banned in Europe for use in food containers, considered a reproductive toxin by the state of California, and has been associated with breast cancer. If you touch a receipt coated in BPS, the toxic chemical can quickly enter your body by absorbing through your skin.

A Legal Warning

The nonprofit watchdog Center for Environmental Health recently tested receipts from 32 major retailers. They found that touching one for just 10 seconds would expose someone to enough BPS to legally require a warning in California under Proposition 65 (which mandates warnings about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive harm).

The Rise of Microplastics

Underlying the bisphenols is the plastic itself. The plastic items that surround us shed tiny particles called microplastics (or nanoplastics). These minuscule plastics build up in our bodies and have been found in almost every human tissue researchers have checked, from the brain to the lining of the arteries.

While their full health impacts are still being studied, they have been linked to chronic inflammation, lung and colon cancers, reproductive health issues, and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The Solution: Go Digital

Dr. Trasande notes that while there are limits to what we can control, declining paper receipts is a simple step we can take to reduce our exposure to chemicals of concern and microplastics. He calls electronic receipts "an important positive step forward."

With ScanSpe, you don't have to choose between keeping a record of your purchase and protecting your health. A simple QR scan gives you a digital, itemized receipt instantly—no touching toxic thermal paper required.