Is There BPA in Receipts?
Thermal receipt paper can carry it. The outer layer of thermal receipt paper is covered with BPA or a related chemical, bisphenol S, as a print developer, according to the release on a 2014 study published in PLOS ONE. In that study, people who held receipts right after using a hand sanitizer containing penetration-enhancing chemicals had BPA transfer to their hands and to food they ate, and their blood and urine BPA rose sharply within 90 minutes.
A 2016 study of cashiers published in Environmental Health Perspectives found each receipt contained 1 to 2 percent BPA, BPS or a related bisphenol by weight, and cashiers who handled receipts containing BPS had significantly higher urinary BPS after a shift than before it.
Connecticut bars thermal and cash register receipt paper containing BPA, under a statute dated October 1, 2013 that sets a later July 1, 2015 date if the EPA had not identified an alternative by June 30, 2013. Washington bars thermal paper with intentionally added bisphenols from January 1, 2026, except paper manufactured before that date.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- StudyA 2014 PLOS ONE study found that when people held thermal receipt paper right after using a hand sanitizer with penetration-enhancing chemicals, BPA transferred to their hands and to food they ate, and blood and urine BPA rose within 90 minutes. PLOS ONE ↗
- StudyThe release on that study said the outer layer of thermal receipt paper is covered with BPA or bisphenol S as a print developer. PLOS via EurekAlert! ↗
- StudyA 2016 Environmental Health Perspectives study of cashiers found each receipt contained 1 to 2 percent BPA, BPS or BPSIP by weight, and urinary BPS was significantly higher after a shift in cashiers handling receipts containing BPS. Environmental Health Perspectives via NIH ↗
- Regulatory filingConnecticut law bars manufacturing or selling thermal or cash register receipt paper containing BPA, on and after October 1, 2013, or July 1, 2015 if the EPA had not identified an alternative by June 30, 2013. Connecticut General Assembly ↗
- Regulatory filingWashington bars manufacturing, selling or distributing thermal paper with intentionally added bisphenols from January 1, 2026, except paper manufactured before that date. Washington State Legislature ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.