Did You Know that What's in Your Wallet Could Make You Sick?

I've always been a receipt freak. Mainly because I never know when I have to return something that requires proof I actually bought the item I'm returning.

Sometimes when I don't have a receipt I think the person behind the cash register suspects I just grabbed the item off the shelf or that I'm trying to commit some other kind of fraudulent act. So I try to hang on to as many receipts as my wallet can handle.

Well, that was until I read about new research that discovered those shiny-paper store receipts are filled with something called BPA and that it is a chemical linked to cancer, heart disease, sexual dysfunction and potential birth defects. Oh, and the study said the BPA easily rubs off on any dollar bills you may be carrying. So now I have to launder my own money just to remain healthy?

BPA, by the way stands for Bisphenol A, which our own Food and Drug Administration had originally proclaimed safe. However, citing new studies, the FDA says it's backtracking a bit from its earlier position and is now conducting a new round of studies to re-examine the safety risk of BPA.

The Washington Toxics Coalition and the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families organizations released its study last  week that found BPA on 95% of the 22 dollar bills it checked from wallets of people across 18 states.  Now, 22 is a rather small number for a test study, but when it comes to cancer and heart disease, why take the chance?

The researchers also said half of the store receipts they found contained high levels of BPA and they believe that's because the BPA used in thermal paper is essentially what's known as an unbound powder. That means it can rub off easily on skin and other porous surfaces. Therefore, even the casual handling of the receipts can transfer BPA to your skin.

The study went on to say that of particular concern was the potential for greater transfer when dollar bills are constantly rubbing against the receipts in your wallet.

FDA suggestions

The FDA isn't taking any chances either. In fact, it just issued some steps we can all take to reduce our exposure to BPA, other than stop shopping, which is probably impossible for most of us.

Step 1. Decline the receipt. Now this is going to be difficult for people like me, especially on big-ticket items I might want to return or need for insurance purposes. Some stores will email you a copy.  

Step 2. Ask about the store's thermal paper source. This seems like a waste of time to me because is the cashier really going to know what you're talking about? You may need to go to a manager for this one. Apparently, there are plenty of thermal paper manufacturers who are not using BPA in their paper. But again, will even a manager know what's in his roll of receipt paper?

In the new study says those retailers whose receipts were BPA-free included Trader Joe's, Costco and Target. I would have rather known what stores were using it. Appleton, the largest thermal paper producer in the U.S., says its paper has been BPA-free since 2006 and that it recently began to embed red fibers in its paper so you'd know it was BPA-free thermal paper. So if you see the red flecks, the receipt is safe.

Step 3. Don't fondle or manhandle the receipt. Who would even do that? Researchers found that merely holding a receipt for 10 seconds produced traces of BPA on the skin. When the researchers actively rubbed the paper, the level of BPA on the skin was 15 times higher than when the receipt was merely held. Some women should be careful, especially if they're the type who have the habit of blotting lipstick on any available piece of paper when they're in a hurry. Check to make sure it's not a cash register receipt or if it is that it has red flecks in it first.

Step 4. Simply keep your receipts out of the wallet, or at least segregate them away from the dollar bills. Then transfer the receipts to a desk drawer or envelope. That's what I do now.