Hands Off My Plastic Stuff

There are so many myths out there about bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in epoxy resin can linings and polycarbonate products. Many dubious studies link the chemical to cancer, obesity, impotence and other diseases. These ‘sensational’ studies get picked up by the media which preys on fear and ignorance of its audience. I would like to start a series of threads dedicated to debunking the myths on BPA. The Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has a page called “What are the BPA myths?” dedicated to discrediting some of the common misconceptions on BPA. I will take these points and repost them for your reference and education.

MYTH: BPA exposure from sales receipts can pose health risks.

REALITY: Some receipts made from thermal paper can contain low levels of bisphenol A (BPA). However, available data suggests that BPA is not readily absorbed through the skin. Biomonitoring data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows that consumer exposure to BPA, which would include exposure from receipts, is extremely low. Typical exposure in the general U.S. population – from all sources – is about 1,000 times below safe intake levels set by government bodies in Europe and the U.S.

In fact, a recent study looking into this very concern, ‘Transfer of bisphenol A from thermal printer paper to the skin,’ (Biedermann, Tschudin & Grob, 2010) shows that while low levels of BPA can transfer from thermal paper to skin, those levels are well below government-set safe intake levels, even under the worst-case conditions included in the study.

Another recent study, ‘Viable skin efficiently absorbs and metabolizes bisphenol A,’ (Zalko, D., et al., 2010) showed that BPA is effectively converted as it penetrates through the skin to a biologically inactive metabolite, which is then quickly eliminated from the body.