Can touching store receipts expose you to BPA and BPS through your skin?

What's actually in it

The shiny receipts you get at the grocery store, ATM, or gas station are printed on thermal paper. This paper is coated with a chemical developer that turns dark when heated by the printer. For years, that developer was bisphenol A (BPA). After BPA raised health concerns, many manufacturers switched to bisphenol S (BPS) or a newer chemical called Pergafast 201. All three sit on the surface of the paper, loose and ready to transfer to your fingers on contact.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Int tested how quickly BPA, BPS, and Pergafast 201 absorb through living human skin. The researchers applied each chemical to skin samples at levels matching what's actually on receipt paper, then tracked how much crossed through.

All three chemicals penetrated the skin. BPA was absorbed the fastest, but BPS and Pergafast 201 also made it through into the tissue below. Once past the skin, these compounds entered the bloodstream. The skin also metabolized some of the chemicals, but not all of the byproducts were harmless.

BPA and BPS are endocrine disruptors. They mimic estrogen in your body and can interfere with hormone signaling at very low doses. Cashiers who handle receipts all day have been found to have higher BPA levels in their blood than office workers.

The simplest fix is to skip the paper receipt and ask for a digital one. If you do handle receipts, avoid touching them with wet hands (moisture speeds absorption) and wash your hands before eating.