Washington becomes first in nation to ban chemical in receipt paper that causes infertility, heart disease

Washington retailers can no longer use receipt paper containing a chemical known to cause infertility.

Beginning this month, the state is the first in the nation to ban the use of bisphenol in certain products, including receipts and the inside lining of canned food.

The chemical has been linked to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and infertility. Fetuses and young children exposed to the chemical may later develop anxiety, depression and early onset puberty from the compound.

Bisphenol can have these effects on the body because its structure mimics that of hormones, said Ecology Center of Michigan researcher Gillian Miller. When ingested, bisphenol can bind to endocrine hormone receptors in the body, which can disrupt normal bodily functions over the long term.

Under new rules enacted Jan. 1 by the Washington state Department of Ecology, paper receipts can contain no more than 200 parts per million of bisphenol. In their explanation of the rule, Ecology pointed to a pergafast developing agent and e-receipts as safer alternatives.

Bisphenol is coated on top of the receipt paper. When heat is applied, the chemical turns dark, which creates the lettering on the receipt. The problem is that “bisphenols are just a free molecule on the paper,” Miller said, “and because of that, it can easily come off when you touch it.”

The chemical can be ingested or enter the body when a person rubs their eye after touching it. Frequent exposure makes certain grocery store workers at higher risk of health impacts.

In 2023, the Ecology Center found 80% of receipt paper from large retailers used bisphenol coating. That was a decline from 2017, when Miller’s study found 93% of receipt paper used the chemical.

Washington’s ban of bisphenol in receipt paper could affect retailers across the nation.

“This is making a difference not just in Washington state but across the country, because retailers are changing what they are doing everywhere to be in compliance here – making things safe for consumers across the country,” Toxic Free Future spokesperson Cheri Peele said.

According to a survey conducted by Toxic Free Future, which advocated for the regulatory change, 18 of 46 major retailers have restricted bisphenols in receipts nationally ahead of Washington’s ban. These retailers are Ahold Delhaize, Best Buy, Chipotle, Costco, CVS Health, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Five Below, Home Depot Inc., Kohl’s, Office Depot, PCC Community Markets, REI, Starbucks, Target, TJX Companies (which includes TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshall’s), Trader Joe’s, Walgreens and Whole Foods Market.

While retailers have made the replacement away from bisphenol-coated receipt paper, Toxic Free Future expressed concern over what that replacement is exactly, Peele said.

“Retailers won’t tell us what’s in the replacement,” she said. “We need to make sure they move to something that is actually safer and avoid a ‘Whack-A-Mole’ problem.”

Bisphenol beyond receipts

Washington state’s ban also impacts several other products, including printed labels and tickets. These all use bisphenol as a coating for printing. The chemical is used widely in plastics, but those products will not be impacted.

“Using it as a component in a plastic bottle as a building block is very different,” Miller said. “In that case, the chemical has been transformed and become part of the plastic.”

With only residual amounts of the chemical within the plastic, the chemical will not rub off onto a person.

Last year, Washington banned bisphenol’s use in another class of products, including canned food and drinks. On the inside of a can, there is a film to separate the food from the metal, which helps to preserve the food. While the use of bisphenol was previously standard in can linings, they started being removed a decade ago. By 2019, more than 95% of can linings did not contain bisphenol, according to the Department of Ecology.

“If even 95 percent of food can linings do not contain BPA, that means five percent of food can linings still contain BPA. People typically buy products consistently. And if they consistently buy food cans that have liners with bisphenols, they will still have exposure,” reads Ecology’s explanation of the rule.