Source: The Conversation
Publication Date: Sept 28, 2026
Medical Toxicologist(s): Sean McCann, MD
Keywords/Topics: receipt, thermal paper, bisphenols

The Conversation: Are there toxic chemicals in your grocery store receipt?

“Receipts are printed on a special type of paper – thermal paper – which often contains chemicals called bisphenols. These chemicals are potentially – but not necessarily – toxic. So, like many questions in toxicology, the answer to whether receipts are dangerous to handle is: It depends.

[...]

In 2023, researchers estimated the daily “dose” of exposure to BPA from thermal paper receipts and found levels somewhere between about 5,000 to 50 million times lower than European Food Safety Authority standards. That’s less than one drop in an 8-ounce glass of water.

That said, this estimate is for the average person. Retail, food service and other workers who handle many receipts every day would be exposed to doses about 100 times higher than that, the researchers estimated. This is potentially more concerning, but still probably well below safety standard levels."