Continue bisphenols on receipts

Greenpeace warns of toxic receipts: Sickening bisphenols on cash registers

08/14/2012

Furthermore, some supermarkets put on receipts containing health-endangering bisphenols, so the result of a recent study by Greenpeace. As the environmental organization reports, the bills of Edeka and Kaiser's still contain toxic bisphenols. Other companies responded to the Greenpeace test last year by switching their receipts to less questionable substitutes.

Bisphenol A (BPA), which is contained in Edeka receipts, is also used as a so-called plasticizer in plastics and is considered to pose serious health concerns. Because numerous studies have shown that BPA causes a sustained disruption of hormone balance, which can affect fertility, increase the risk of diabetes and affect the maturation of the infant's brain. According to Greenpeace, the bisphenol S used in thermal printing paper from Kaiser's cash register is similarly problematic. Due to the massive distribution of bisphenols, for example, BPA is now detectable in urine in every human being in Germany.

Bisphenol content tested in receipts
A year ago, the Greenpeace magazine had examined the receipts of eight companies on the content of toxic bisphenols. In this process, bisphenols were detected in the receipts of seven of the eight companies tested. The latest follow-up investigation found that most companies now use less worrying alternatives for thermal printing paper. However, Edeka and Kaiser's continued to rely on the extremely questionable bisphenol-containing cash slip. "Edeka's receipts still contain the highly controversial bisphenol A, and Kaiser's uses the barely less critical bisphenol S (BPS)," says Greenpeace. If increased concentrations of these pollutants are added, threaten according to the experts considerable health consequences.

Many companies are now doing without bisphenols
Fortunately, companies such as Aldi Nord, Deutsche Bahn, Lidl, REWE, Galeria Kaufhof and Deutsche Post have responded to the Greenpeace criticism of the past few years and have meanwhile switched to substitute materials for the cash register slips. Aldi Nord, Deutsche Bahn and Lidl now use the substance Pergafast 201 instead of BPA. REWE, Galeria Kaufhof and Deutsche Post apparently use D-8 as a substitute for their thermal printing paper. According to Greenpeace, "both chemicals have now been studied by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in addition to 15 other potential BPA alternatives, and they have been shown to be significantly less harmful than BPA. However, D-8 and Pergafast 201 are "not risk-free," reports the environmental organization. For example, D-8 is structurally very similar to bisphenol S and, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency, has a "clearly hormonally active effect," continues Greenpeace. Although this does not apply to "Pergafast 201" according to the current state of research, both substances endanger the environment according to the EPA.

Edeka and Kaiser's continued to rely on bisphenols
However, according to the environmental organization, it is far more problematic that "the receipts of individual companies such as Edeka and Kaiser's continue to contain bisphenols". Especially since the substances are color developers on the surface of the thermal paper and are easily soluble on contact. One to two percent of the weight of the receipts are formed by the bisphenols, which could get into the blood when touching the skin, warned Greenpeace. For example, the Swedish Chemicals Agency KEMI recently calculated the exposure to bisphenol A by thermal paper and the risk of unborn childbirth not adequately controlled ", according to the Environmental Protection Organization. The KEMI pleaded for a precautionary prohibition of bisphenol in sales receipts, since the hormonal effect already "at very low doses" show. The European Food Authority EFSA has meanwhile announced a new risk assessment for bisphenols and the Federal Environment Agency also wants to examine "whether the risk to humans and the environment may be underestimated," says Greenpeace.

Receipts are not in the hands of children
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, receipts are by no means in children's hands because of the potential uptake of bisphenols. In general, they should only be touched for a short time and, if possible, disposed of in residual waste in order to avoid entry into the recycling cycle, reports Greenpeace. However, as bisphenols are also used as softening agents in many plastic products, more far-reaching legislation is urgently needed to avoid potential health risks for the population. Substitutes should also be thoroughly tested. (Fp)

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