Do you remember the good old days when all you had to worry about when shopping at the grocery store was eating healthy? We have been hearing about GMO (genetically modified organisms) in our food and we are looking at organic as a safe alternative. When we have our grocery cart full of healthy food and drink, we feel pretty good about our purchases. Who would have known we now need to worry about our cash register receipts? New studies have shown several popular grocery chains have traces of BPA on their cash register paper.
If you are not familiar, BPA is an industrial chemical which has been used in plastics and resins since the 1960’s. The plastic containers are those which store our foods and beverages and other goods we buy. The epoxy resin has been used for coating the inside of metal products like food cans, bottle tops and your water supply lines. It has been shown these harsh and potentially harmful chemicals can seep into your food and beverages from the containers they are stored in. The possible health problems can range from disrupting your hormone levels, to heart and brain disorders and even cancer. If you were to look at anything made from plastic like your water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups or even dental sealants, you will see more and more are BPA free.
A recent report from the Ensource Corporation shows BPA is showing up on our cash register receipts. I will admit, I am careful about washing my hands when I touch certain items, but my cash register receipt was not on the list. I can assure you it is now! The report analyzed 94 samples of cash register receipts from 12 grocery store chains from 66 cities in 17 states. The samples, from 82 stores, were collected by 2 environmental consulting firms and were looked at in one of two laboratories. The stores may not have even known the paper they were using had levels of BPA on them. The stores are supplied with the papers from their sources. These suppliers are supposed to run a BPA free paper test, but as this study shows, not all stores do this test. You can look at the results and see if the store you shop with is on the report and what their BPA levels on their cash register receipt paper falls.
Did you check the report for your grocery store? Do you have a store near you or that you shop at?
