The Toxin You Are Absorbing From Store Receipts
Carl Lowe | Jul 17, 2012 | Comments 5 |
The cheap, thin paper that stores use for receipts contains a toxin that you can absorb through your fingers. Scientists are concerned that this potentially dangerous chemical, bisphenol S (BPS), may have unknown health effects on your body and the environment.
BPS is being used by various manufacturers to replace bisphenol A (BPA), a substance used in plastic bottles and other goods that possesses harmful estrogen-mimicking effects. But BPS, which is now in thermal paper and other products, may be just as problematic. It is likely that it is carcinogenic and causes heart problems.
According to research published in Environmental Science & Technology, 87 percent of paper money and 52 percent of recycled paper (the type used in receipts) contain BPS. They estimate that people are absorbing 19 times more BPS than BPA. And the long-term risks are unknown. People who handle thermal paper in their jobs may be absorbing much, much more.
BPS was also found in business cards, food cartons, magazines, napkins, toilet paper and envelopes, though in much smaller amounts than in thermal paper.
Filed Under: Alternative Medicine • Cancer • Cancer Concerns • Easy Health Options News • General Health • Heart and Cardiovascular • Heart Concerns
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What are BPS & BPA used for? If they are the active chemical in thermal paper what the heck is it doing in money and toilet paper in any significant amount? If it gets introduced in the recycling process it must be greatly diluted. Compare the tiny volume of paper in the receipts for a week’s shopping to the total amount of paper products recycled by the typical American household.
Researchers believe that these toxins are finding their way into other paper products via cross contamination originating in thermal paper and other sources.
Any time I see “weasel words” I start to smell a rat. I’ve copied some of the articles statements below and added emphasis.
“Scientists are CONCERNED that this POTENTIALLY dangerous chemical, bisphenol S (BPS), MAY have UNKNOWN health effects on your body and the environment.”
“But BPS, which is now in thermal paper and other products, MAY be just as problematic. It is LIKELY that it is carcinogenic and causes heart problems.”
“And the long-term risks are UNKNOWN.”
“People who handle thermal paper in their jobs MAY be absorbing much, much more.”
Essentially, this article tells us nothing and only alarms the reader. It offers no advice on how to limit our exposure, or even if it’s necessary. Do retail checkers have higher levels of some health problems? Do people in the factories producing the thermal paper have a higher level of medical complaints? Give us some FACTS, not just some vague suspicions, please!
Sorry that you think these are only vague suspicions when they are, in fact, backed up by some pretty solid research. As a matter of fact, some researchers in this area are themselves refusing to touch thermal receipts. For references you can check http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21744851, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021%2Fes300876n, or info on the brain effects of these toxins: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/20/peds.2011-1335.
If you still smell a rat after reading these studies, please tell us where it is.
Wouldn’t surprise me the least if this weren’t a concerted effort to thin the masses, a NWO agenda!