Key Points
- For many purchases Australians make, we touch a receipt made of chemicals that could have health risks.
- While many retailers are using BPA-free receipts to assuage consumer concerns, what is the replacement?
- Experts say BPA and BPS shouldn't be a great concern, but there are also ways to avoid exposure to the chemical.
Major retail giants may have stepped away from a chemical used in store receipts which has been linked to health risks, but concerns have been raised about what chemical is being used instead.
Woolworths and Coles are among the largest Australian retailers who have veered away from BPA, a chemical used to make common plastic items, following studies that revealed it can disrupt hormonal production, which could lead to fertility issues, diabetes and obesity.
But they're staying silent on what its alternative is — a chemical that experts state may have the same traits as BPA, but much less is known about it.
What is BPA?
BPA, or bisphenol A, is a polymer, or a chain of molecules, that is commonly used to make polycarbonate plastic items.
It's found in several items Australians deal with on a day-to-day basis, such as water bottles, concert tickets, tableware, cans — and receipts.
For as long as paper dockets have been around, BPA has been a cheap and effective chemical to use for thermal printing.
Professor of chemistry at RMIT University Oliver Jones said that BPA is among the most widely-studied chemicals in the world, with numerous international studies conducted on it.
Over time, health risks associated with the chemical have piled on great controversy, with baby bottles and other child-affiliated items being manufactured BPA-free for more than a decade now.
A found an increase in urinary BPA concentrations in people who continuously handled receipts for two hours without gloves at some grocery stores, ATMs and petrol stations.
in the US found people who had higher detections of BPA in their urine were almost 50 per cent more likely to die in a 10-year-period.
What's the issue with BPA?
Heavy scrutiny was placed on BPA used in products following some studies that showed that BPA can leach out of the lining of the products it's in, and into food and beverages we consume.
Many studies have shown BPA can be an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can disrupt certain hormones if consumed in high doses and can lead to fertility issues, diabetes, obesity and cancer.
Many retailers are phasing out BPA from its receipts due to growing concerns from consumers about the health risks associated with it. Source: Getty / James Hardy
But Foods Standards Australia and New Zealand said on its website that people should not be worried about the use of BPA in food and beverage products, due to the tiny volume of BPA exposure that is significantly lower than the safety threshold.
"Some studies have raised potential concerns that BPA exposure may cause health problems," it said.
"However, the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion is that there is no health or safety issue at the levels people are exposed to."
How have supermarkets responded?
Woolworths said it has done away with BPA in its receipts for seven years now, and sees more customers ditch the paper docket completely.
"An ever-growing number of customers are choosing to do away with paper receipts altogether in favour of digital eReceipts via our Everyday Rewards program," a spokesperson said.
The option for Woolworths customers to receive digital receipts came about in June 2021. Since then, more then seven million transactions daily receive digital receipts as opposed to paper.
Coles also said in a statement its receipts are BPA-free.
The mysterious alternative to BPA
If major retailers have ditched BPA, the most obvious next question is: what are they using instead?
According to Professor Jones, the easiest alternative to switch from BPA is a "very similar" chemical, bisphenol S (BPS).
BPS is considered the most commonly used BPA-free alternative to BPS due to its close similarities and functions — except it's far less studied and scrutinised.
"If you say, 'OK, we don't want to use BPA anymore. What's the easiest thing to switch to in a process that we want it to do and is easy to integrate into our manufacturing process?', then something like BPS is the obvious answer," Professor Jones said.
"For me, I would rather be exposed to BPA than BPS because we don't know as much about BPS," he said.
Professor Jones said it's a "little misleading" that outlets which disclose their receipts and other items were BPA-free, use BPS as its alternative.
"It's a little bit like greenwashing, when you make yourself look green, because that's what the customer wants," he said.
SBS News asked Woolworths and Coles whether their receipts used BPS as an alternative to manufacture their receipts. Both did not clarify.
What can you do to avoid BPA or BPS?
Professor Jones said people, including retail assistants, should not be concerned about exposure to BPA or BPS.
But for those who remain sceptical of increased exposure, there are some precautionary tips handy.
"If you're working at a cash desk or something you could always wear gloves, or you can at the customer take the receipt instead," he said.
Another alternative to BPA and BPS that businesses can consider in receipts is phenol-free printing, a recommendation that Australian environmental organisation Planet Ark has endorsed.
The Woolworths spokesperson said it is "continuing to review emerging phenol-free alternatives".
