Good Lifestyle

Receptions are something that we tend to collect, whether intentionally or not. Many among us Record receipts For tax purposes or to keep track of expenses, but it is just as likely that we do them distractedly at the bottom of a handbag or a jacket pocket. In any case, they can accumulate quickly - and this could have surprising health consequences. According to a new study by the Ecology Center, you may want to think twice before keeping your Kroger receipts, Home Depot and other large retailers, as they can contain "toxic chemicals". Read the rest to find out more about this alarming study.

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In a new study , the ecology center tested 374 paper receipts from 144 large retailers, collected between January and November 2022. The receipts came from 22 American states and Washington, D.C., with the most receipts (87) collected in grocery stores like Kroger , Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter. The receipts were also collected in restaurants, large -box retailers, renovation stores, convenience stores, clothing stores, reduced prices stores and pharmacies, according to the study report.

Researchers were looking for detect bisphenols Like bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol (BPS), which both interfere with our hormones and have been linked to "many health damages, including cancer, congenital malformations and other development problems" " Nancy Bumermeyer said the director of the program and policy for breast cancer prevention partners, in a press release.

According to the study report, receipts are an "under-address source" of "disturbing chemicals" like BPS and BPA. The receipts are made from thermal paper covered with layers of chemicals, which allows text and images to form when the heat is applied, according to the ecology center.

Overall, the researchers found a BPS in 80% of the receipts tested, according to the press release, while the BPA was found "in very few receipts" (1%). These figures were lowered compared to 2017, when the researchers found BPS in 84% of the receipts tested and the BPA in 9% of the receipts. The press release notes that BPS is announced as "safer" than BPA, but the two chemicals are still pose health problems.

Approximately 129 retailers Printed positive BPS receipts, including ACE, Aldi, Dollar Tree equipment, Dollar General, Family Dollar, five below, JCPENNEY, Kroger, KOHL's, LOWE's, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Rite Aid and Walmart. Received from delivery services such as the UPS store, Fedex and the United States Postal Service (USPS), also tested positive for BPS. A full list of retailers with chemicals detected in their receipts can be found in test results.

Better life Contacted Kroger and Home Depot to comment on the report, and will update history with their response.

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Researchers have found safer alternatives to bisphenols in 20% of receipts, which represents a sharp increase compared to the 2% detected in 2017. Although the report quotes it as a "positive progress", the toxic risk of bisphenol is still quite common. In addition to consumers, employees who regularly manage receipts (especially women) are in danger, said the press release, with defenders calling for a reduction in reception of receipts and an increase in digital options.

"Receptions are a current exposure route for disturbing bisphenols of hormones that easily absorb the skin. Our studies show that most retailers use bisphenol coated paper", " Melissa Cooper Sargent , Advocate on environmental health at the Ecology Center in Michigan, said in the press release. "The transition to non -toxic paper is an easy change. We urge retailers to stop distributing chemical paper to their consumers and put employees in danger."

Mike Schade , Director of Spirit The Store, a program for the future without toxic, added: "No one should have to worry about the toxic exhibitions of verification in a store."

Schade also stressed that this problem has persisted for more than a decade. However, as illustrated by the drop in the use of bisphenol found in the study of the Center of Ecology, a change is possible. "We encourage retailers to intensify to protect their customers from this unnecessary exhibition," he said.

According to the report, the only ass, a chain of restaurants, has been proven to have non -coated receipts. However, the receipts of 16 retailers have proven to have non -bisphenols' chemicals "which can be safer alternatives". These retailers included Best Buy, Costco, CVS, H&M, Homegoods, Lululemon, Marshalls, Rei, Sam's Club Gas, Sierra Trading Post, Starbucks, Target, T.J. Maxx, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market.

Several of these stores have made efforts to eliminate bisphenols in recent years, according to the Retailers bulletin , namely the companies TJX, Costco, Rei, Target, Best Buy and Whole Foods.

In response to the report, Walgreens also undertook to eliminate bisphenols and offer digital receipts in 9,000 stores by the end of this year. CVS, another pharmacy chain, has also stopped using paper covered with phenol in 2020 and an increase in digital options and without receipt, the press release said. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Washington was the first state to propose a state ban on these chemicals in receipts, the policy in force in January 2025. California also introduced legislation forcing retailers to provide digital receipts and receipts without Phoenol on request.

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To protect yourself from these chemicals, the ecology center recommends refusing a paper receipt when possible and washing your hands if you manage one. The receipts must be folded the printed side (because the rear generally does not have the chemical coating) and thrown into the trash instead of recycling to avoid contamination.

Experts also say that receipts should be kept away from babies and children. If you feel inclined to act, the ecology center recommends calling your local retailers on the problem and writing to elected officials.