New York City set to ‘BAN’ paper receipts over links to breast cancer and infertility
NEW York City councillors are considering a ban on till and cash machine receipts because they contain a chemical linked to cancer and infertility. They want to make retailers email receipts instead to protect shoppers’ health while also cutting paper waste. Most receipts are printed on thermal paper which is coated with Bisphenol A (BPA) […]
NEW York City councillors are considering a ban on till and cash machine receipts because they contain a chemical linked to cancer and infertility.
They want to make retailers email receipts instead to protect shoppers’ health while also cutting paper waste.
Most receipts are printed on thermal paper which is coated with Bisphenol A (BPA) or a related chemical Bisphenol S (BPS).
They mimic the female hormone oestrogen and disrupt the body’s endocrine system – the collection of glands that produce hormones.
Studies have found it may increase the risk of breast cancer and male infertility, and it has also been linked to
premature births, diabetes, obesity and genital deformities.
New York State has banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and other food and drink containers over health fears.
Governor Andrew Cuomo has also announced a ban on flavoured e-cigarettes after claims they damage vapers’ lungs and can even kill.
Now the city council is considering new laws to crack down on unnecessary receipts from cash registers.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson said: “Nobody needs foot-long receipts.
“We will work with businesses and consumers to cut out paper receipt waste and protect the planet.
“Let’s not print receipts when they aren’t wanted, especially when we have technology to issue environmentally friendly alternatives.”
A proposed law will ban the use of BPA-coated paper and require stores to offer e-receipts, among other measures.
It comes weeks after the same council voted to ban foie gras pate – currently served in 1,000 New York restaurants – because of concerns over animal cruelty.
In January a major study warned of the risk of supermarket receipts placed into a carrier bag with groceries.
What is BPA and why is it so dangerous?
What’s BPA used for?
BPA is used to make plastics, including materials that come into contact with food, as is legal in the UK.
These include refillable drinks bottles and food storage containers, as well as the protective coatings and linings for food and drinks cans.
It is also used to make protective coatings for the inside of food and drink cans and to develop dye in thermal paper, which is used for shop sales receipts, and public transport and parking tickets.
Why’s it so dangerous?
Members of the European Chemicals Agency committee have warned that BPA can disrupt the body’s endocrine system, which is the collection of glands that produce hormones.
These disruptions can cause serious health issues including infertility and aggression in girls as young as three.
The chemical can mimic the female sex hormone, oestrogen, and some studies have found it affects the development of breast tissue, increasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer, according to Breast Cancer UK.
It’s worth standing that Cancer Research UK doesn’t think there’s much scientific evidence to support the claim that BPA increases a person’s risk of cancer, while the Food Standard Authority has said that there’s no need to panic.
Their website states: “Independent studies have shown that, even when consumed at high levels, BPA is rapidly absorbed, detoxified, and eliminated from humans.”
Nine in ten receipts analysed in Brazil and Spain and half in France contained BPA. Many of the alternatives contained the similarly harmful BPS.
Study leader Prof Nicolás Olea said: “Tickets should not get in contact with food – for instance, meat or fish – while unpacking it in the kitchen.
“Moreover, we should not crumple the tickets to throw them in the trash, play with them, write notes on them, or store them in cars, purses or handbags.
“In short, we should manipulate this kind of tickets as little as possible.”
In another study last year, scientists tested 207 receipts in Detroit and found 93 per cent contained BPA or BPS.
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Similar receipts on thermal paper – printed with heat instead of ink – are used widely in the UK.
They can be identified by holding the paper to a heat source and seeing if it turns black. Any print on them also fades after a while.
The white powder that comes off on your fingers is BPA.
An EU-wide ban on the use of BPA in receipts comes into force next year and it is expected the UK will follow the same rules after Brexit.
Last year a study showed four in five British teenagers have BPA in their bodies, potentially harming their fertility.
