Are Paper Receipts Toxic? What You Need to Know

Paper receipts are increasingly raising concerns about potential health impacts, primarily due to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) and its replacement, bisphenol S (BPS). These chemicals, widely used in plastics and found in receipts, are endocrine disruptors—meaning they can interfere with hormone function—and pose potential health risks. Several businesses in California were recently cited for failing to warn consumers about potential BPA exposure from receipts, highlighting the importance of understanding these risks.

What Chemicals Are in Receipts?

Most store receipts utilize thermal paper, a coated material containing chemicals like leuco dye (which darkens when heated), BPA or BPS to develop color, and stabilizers to keep the image intact. While the scientific community hasn’t reached a definitive consensus on the health risks associated with these chemicals, ongoing research investigates their potential to disrupt hormone function. Companies initially switched from BPA to BPS due to concerns about BPA, but research suggests BPS may pose similar health risks. Safer alternatives, such as ascorbic acid, are emerging, but it’s common for BPA and BPS to be replaced with similar chemicals.

The Potential Health Risks of Receipts

Research indicates that BPA can mimic estrogen, binding to estrogen receptors and disrupting hormonal signaling. This can lead to reproductive health issues, including irregular periods, ovulation problems, and decreased ovarian function or sperm quality. BPA exposure may also contribute to inflammation and cell damage.

Both BPA and BPS act as endocrine disruptors, potentially interfering with reproductive, developmental, and metabolic processes. Evidence supporting the risks of BPA is strong, and convincing data is emerging for BPS. Touching a receipt, even briefly, can transfer BPA or BPS to your skin, with absorption increasing when hand sanitizer is used—the alcohol in sanitizer breaks down the skin’s natural barrier.

Exposure to these chemicals has also been linked to cancer, metabolic disorders like diabetes, heart disease, and pregnancy problems. BPS, in particular, has been associated with obesity, gestational diabetes, reproductive harm, and hormone-related breast cancers. It’s important to note that research is ongoing to determine the extent to which receipt exposure contributes to these issues.

Should I Be Concerned About Handling Receipts?

While occasional receipt handling likely poses minimal risk for most consumers, certain groups—like cashiers and servers who regularly handle receipts—may face higher exposure levels. Spreading these chemicals further is possible when you touch your face, food, or phone after handling receipts.

Experts recommend avoiding hand sanitizer before handling receipts and washing your hands afterward, as a study revealed that sanitizer use can increase BPA absorption by up to 100 times. It’s also best to limit exposure for pregnant individuals and children, whose developing systems are more sensitive to hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Beyond personal health, bisphenols pose environmental concerns, as they can spread throughout ecosystems, persisting for days in aquatic settings.

How to Handle Receipts Safely: 5 Tips

You can easily reduce your exposure risk by taking a few simple steps:

1. Request digital receipts: These are becoming increasingly common and are expected to significantly decrease thermal printing in the coming years.
2. Wash your hands: Avoid hand sanitizer before handling receipts, but wash your hands afterward.
3. Protect your hands at work: If you regularly handle receipts, consider using protective finger cots or gloves.
4. Support businesses using safer alternatives: Look for retailers using phenol-free paper or offering electronic receipts; the Green America Skip the Slip report helps identify retailers using BPA- or BPS-free receipts.
5. Avoid receipts if vulnerable: Pregnant individuals and those caring for children should limit contact with paper receipts.

The Takeaway

Paper receipts often contain BPA and BPS, chemicals that can disrupt hormone function and potentially impact reproductive, developmental, and metabolic health. Brief contact can transfer these chemicals, and using hand sanitizer can significantly increase absorption, particularly for those who regularly handle receipts. To minimize exposure, choose digital receipts, wash hands after handling paper receipts, support businesses using safer alternatives, and avoid contact, especially if you’re pregnant or caring for children.

EDITORIAL SOURCES

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Resources

• About BPA and BPS in Receipt Paper. Ecology Center.
• Bisphenol S in Thermal Receipt Paper. State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General. February 10, 2025.
• Are Receipts Toxic? University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. July 16, 2025.
• Samova S et al. The Silent Threat of BPA: Its Pervasive Presence and Impact on Reproductive Health. Environmental Health Insights. June 28, 2025.
• Chen J et al. Endocrine disrupting chemicals exposure and health: An umbrella review. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. September 1, 2025.
• Thoene M et al. Bisphenol S in Food Causes Hormonal and Obesogenic Effects Comparable to or Worse than Bisphenol A: A Literature Review. Nutrients. February 19, 2020.
• Hormann AM et al. Holding thermal receipt paper and eating food after using hand sanitizer results in high serum bioactive and urine total levels of bisphenol A (BPA). PLoS One. October 22, 2014.

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