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BPA absorbed into body through cash register receipts
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High levels of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A found in humans are likely coming from thermal paper used in cash register receipts, according to data published in PLOS ONE.
“Our research found that large amounts of [bisphenol A] can be transferred to your hands and then to the food you hold and eat as well as be absorbed through your skin,” Frederick vom Saal, PhD, of the University of Missouri-Columbia, said in a press release.
A study conducted by vom Saal, along with Annette M. Hormann and colleagues, recruited men and women (mean age, 27 years) from a campus-wide email newsletter for various experiments involved in the research. Participants were not taking any prescription or non-prescription medication other than oral contraceptives.
To reduce background bisphenol A (BPA) levels in body fluids as much as possible, participants were asked to refrain from touching thermal paper receipts, consuming food or drinks stored in polycarbonate or other types of plastic containers and during the 48 hours before participation; they also filled out a questionnaire detailing their activities during this period.
“Free BPA is applied to the outer layer of thermal receipt paper present in very high quantities (approximately 20 mg BPA/g paper) as a print developer,” the researchers wrote. “Not taken into account when considering thermal paper as a source of BPA exposure is that some commonly used hand sanitizers, as well as other skin care products, contain mixtures of dermal penetration enhancing chemicals that can increase by up to 100-fold the dermal absorption of lipophilic compounds such as BPA.”
The researchers conducted four experiments:
- Measuring BPA and bisphenol S (BPS) in 50 thermal receipt papers to quantify the proportion containing the chemical or replacement chemical;
- Determining BPA transferred to hands from holding a thermal receipt for various times, both with and without using hand sanitizer;
- Examining serum and urine BPA before and after transdermal and oral exposure to BPA from thermal receipt paper after using hand sanitizer;
- And examining serum and urine BPA before and after transdermal exposure to BPA from thermal receipt paper with dry hands.
When men and women held thermal receipt paper immediately after applying a hand sanitizer with penetration-enhancing chemicals, significant free BPA was transferred to their hands and onto the french fries they consumed, the researchers discovered.
Within 90 minutes, a rapid and dramatic average maximum increase was seen in unconjugated, or bioactive, BPA in serum (approximately 7 ng/mL) and in urine (approximately 20 mcg total BPA/g creatinine) through the combination of dermal and oral BPA absorption.
The default method regulatory agencies use to test for hazards posed by chemicals, called intra-gastric gavage, results in less than 1% of the administered dose bioavailable in blood for BPA and ignores dermal and sublingual absorption, which bypass first-pass liver metabolism, the researchers wrote.
“BPA exhibits hormone-like properties and has been proven to cause reproductive defects in fetuses, infants, children and adults,” vom Saal said in the release. “BPA from thermal papers will be absorbed into your blood rapidly; at those levels, many diseases such as diabetes and disorders such as obesity increase as well.”
Disclosure: This work was supported by grants from The Passport Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Perspective
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Scott Belcher, PhD
Because of its chemical properties, bisphenol A — also known as BPA — is arguably one of the most useful man-made chemicals in production. BPA also stands as a prototypical environmental contaminate with hormone-like activity. BPA use in a surprising array of applications extending from manufacture of plastics to thermal paper printing has led to widespread human exposure and broad public concern. The Endocrine Society and other health organizations are challenging whether current regulatory approaches are assuring an appropriate level of public safety when it comes to BPA and other chemicals that interfere with hormone action.
While most of the BPA that humans are exposed to comes from foods and beverages, the study by Hormann and colleagues addresses an additional route of exposure – transdermal migration of BPA from handling of receipt paper. As part of this study, it was found that in the presence of chemical hand sanitizers, there was increased absorption of BPA into circulation. This study further defines free BPA from paper products as a source of BPA exposure, a critical component in risk assessment. However, the major importance of this study may relate more to it vividly reinforcing the fact that our environment is now one permeated with new chemicals, used in unknown ways, and that for most of these there is little understanding of their ability to affect the function of hormonal systems.
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