QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, I recently saw a viral video claiming the ATO is “killing us softly” through thermal receipts – apparently they’re coated in BPA and other hormone-disrupting chemicals. As someone who handles receipts at work all day (shoutout to retail life), I’m now kind of freaked out. Should we be worried about the long-term effects of touching them, or is this another TikTok conspiracy? – Jodie, 34, Wollongong NSW
ANSWER: Hi Jodie, Good news – for once, TikTok has stumbled onto some real science.
Thermal receipts – those shiny ones that fade faster than a politician’s promise – often contain Bisphenol A (BPA) or its chemical sibling, BPS. These compounds are used in thermal printing to create text without ink. But here’s the rub: both are known endocrine disrupters, meaning they can interfere with your hormones, especially estrogen (National Health and Medical Research Council, 2020).
What’s more worrying is that BPA can be absorbed through the skin. A 2014 study in Environmental Health Perspectives found that people who handled receipts frequently – particularly with moisturised or greasy hands – absorbed measurable amounts of BPA. Another Australian study confirmed that regular skin contact can lead to significant exposure.
Now, don’t panic and start wrapping your hands in cling wrap. Most of the alarming research involves high-dose exposure, usually in industrial settings or lab environments. But for retail and hospitality workers handling receipts every day, the cumulative effect is something to take seriously.
