A new study by researchers at the Institut National de Recherche et de Se´curite´ in France (Marquet et al., Arch Toxicol2011) confirms that thermal paper receipts do not pose a safety risk to workers.
The paper supports the conclusion of previous research by Biedermann et al., which found that even “worst case” exposures to thermal paper receipts – exposures by cashiers to the material for 10 hours or more a day – are lower than international safety estimates (Total Dietary Intake, or TDI) for high exposures.
According to the new study, maximal exposure to BPA from one hour of exposure to the entire hands and forearms would be 4 µg/kg/day, or 12.5-fold lower than the daily safe exposure level (TDI) of 50 µg/kg/day.
Since exposure to thermal paper is unlikely to include so much surface area (hand and forearms)the conclusion indicates that normal handling of thermal paper is indeed quite safe for consumers and workers.
The paper further corrects a concern expressed in the Biedermannpaper that moisture or greasy conditions on the skin could increase the rate of BPA dermal penetration. According to Marquet et al., their results indicated no significant differences in the presence or absence of occlusion, which would be expected to increase moisture on the skin.
For further information:
Marquet at al.:http://www.springerlink.com/content/t779340680t016t8/
Biederman et al.:http://www.springerlink.com/content/d5j507113141120h