High Levels of BPA Found In 40 Percent of U.S. Paper Receipts

A U.S. environmental group has found that Americans are exposed to the controversial chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) through paper receipts printed by businesses. As many as 40 percent of the receipts tested by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) contained high levels of the chemical, including receipts from McDonald’s, CVS, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, and the U.S. Postal Service. In some cases, the amount of BPA was 250 to 1,000 times greater than the more widely-discussed sources of the chemical found in thousands of everyday products, including water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of canned foods. While studies have shown that the chemical disrupts development in animals, that link has not been confirmed for humans. The EWG’s analysis could help explain why the chemical has been found in the urine of about 93 percent of Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We’ve come across potentially major sources of BPA right here in our daily lives,” said Sonya Lunder, a senior analyst with the EWG. BPA is often used as a preservative coating on receipts that employ thermal imaging technology.