Research by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has found high levels of bisphenol S (BPS) in receipt paper used by many major retailers, including Ace Hardware, Burger King, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dollar General, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, and Williams Sonoma.
“BPS … is a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen and can disrupt the normal functioning of the body, including metabolism, growth and development and reproduction. Studies show that BPS can be absorbed through skin when handling receipt paper–even for short periods,” according to a CEH press release.
BPS was added to the California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm in 2023. With this addition, companies were allowed a one-year grace period to ensure their products either didn’t contain this chemical or included a clear and reasonable warning for the presence of BPS.
BPS is a close chemical cousin to bisphenol A (BPA).
Chemicals like BPS and BPA are added to receipts as thermal coatings that assist in ink development.
The CEH previously reached legal agreements with more than 10 major retailers and suppliers of receipts, requiring that they remove BPA from their receipt thermal paper.
“Based on these studies and testing by an independent lab, the concentrations were so high that touching only [one] receipt with BPS for 10 seconds resulted in exposure above the safe harbor level which requires a clear and reasonable warning to consumers,” says CEH Science Lead Mihir Vohra in the release.
Research testing by the CEH, a nonprofit, occurred after the one-year grace period when it found receipts containing concentrations of BPS above the safe harbor minimum levels.
“For more than two decades, CEH has ensured that companies and manufacturers that remove one toxic chemical from their products do not replace it with another toxic, regrettable substitute,” says CEH CEO Kizzy Charles-Guzman in the release. “These companies have the opportunity to lead by improving their product specifications so that the receipt paper they purchase is safer for their workers and customers.”
In 2021, the CEH co-created a certification program that highlights products, including thermal paper used for receipts, that don’t contain harmful chemicals. This list aids companies in finding safe alternatives “to avoid ‘playing Whack-a-Mole’ with dangerous chemicals,” Charles-Guzman adds, according to The Guardian.
“Studies show that BPS, like BPA, can be absorbed through skin when handling receipt paper, even for short periods,” Shakoora Azimi-Gaylon, senior director of the Toxic Exposures and Pollution Prevent Program at the CEH, says in the CEH’s release. “When companies know better, they must do better. We are calling on retailers to demand a healthier specification for receipt paper from their suppliers, and suppliers have an opportunity to meet this demand and certify their products under CEH and Clean Production Action’s standard.”
Consumers are advised to either decline receipts printed on thermal paper or opt to receive receipts via e-mail for their purchases. Store workers who must handle receipts should wear gloves if possible or avoid using alcohol-based hand cleaners before handling a receipt because it can significantly increase the absorption of BPS.
Since January 2025, the CEH has sent legal violation notices to about 90 major retailers alerting them of the exceedance of Prop 65 limits for BPS.
“The violation notices give companies 60 days to respond. They will either have to switch to paper that does not include BPS or affix a warning to the products. That could potentially include a sign near a cash register that alerts consumers to the receipts’ toxicity,” The Guardian says. “If companies don’t respond within 60 days, the CEH can sue in California state court under [Prop 65] and ask a judge to order companies to use an alternative or provide a warning.”
Although Prop 65 is only applicable in California, risk managers and environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals are advised to ensure compliance across all locations to avoid potential costly litigation in the future.