Experts have said that even if all samples of cash receipts’ results showed a heavy presence of BPA and BPS on them, there is still no regulation to stop the use of chemical elements and no one is accountable in this regard.
The cash receipts came up with the same result during a follow-up study conducted recently. The original study was done for the first time two years ago.
The follow-up study report, titled “Transaction with Toxins: BPA in Cash Receipts”, has detected the cancer-causing Bisphenols elements in cash receipts that exceeded the safety limit.
The findings of the study were released during a virtual event by Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) on Monday.
Bisphenol A or BPA and its chemical cousin Bisphenol-S (BPS) are developers that assist in the heat-activated printing process.
BPS or BPA is considered an endocrine disruptor and can have adverse health effects, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility, diabetes and obesity.
They are endocrine disruptors that mimic hormones like estrogen and thyroid hormones, disrupting the body’s normal functioning.
According to experts, thermal paper is often used in cash register receipts in restaurants, grocery stores and ATM booths.
BPA is being used in thermal paper to have the writing on paper last for a longer period of time. Since this receipt has a very short usable time span, there is no need to use BPA on thermal paper.
The previous study was published back in 2019. However, after all these years, no improvement has been found in banning BPA or BPS on thermal paper.
According to the findings, about 97% of the total collected cash receipts samples from 40 different places are made of thermal paper. Among them, 69% include BPA and 26% have BPS.
The samples were collected from public offices, local franchise stores, large major supermarkets, small supermarkets or convenience stores, bank number tickets and delivery receipts or general retail shops.
Among the 67 collected samples, only two from one local franchise store were detected as “not thermal paper”.
In ESDO’s previous study in 2019, some 36 samples were collected and tested for BPA. All the samples have BPA which shows us the severity of the situation.
Besides, a baseline survey was conducted physically on a total of 1,350 people and it was found that 0% of the surveyed population was unknown or unaware of BPA-containing thermal paper and its harmful effects.
Dr Shahriar Hossain, team leader of the ESDO study, said BPA and BPS from thermal paper can pass into the bloodstream more quickly.
“At the levels seen in this study, the risk of diseases such as diabetes, neurological imbalance, and even cancer escalates," he added.
Siddika Sultana, executive director of ESDO, called for a strict regulation for BPA and BPS coated receipts to reduce human and environmental exposure to this harmful chemical.
She added that only the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or Ministry of Health cannot work alone. An inter-ministerial approach such as including the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industry is needed to control this.
Since there is no regulation yet to ban BPA or BPS on cash receipts in our country thus Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has no scope yet to monitor this yet.
Line director (Non-Communicable Disease Control Program) under Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Prof Dr Mohammad Robed Amin, advised using glass and stainless steel instead of plastic for water bottles, storage containers, and baby bottles to avoid BPA.
Considering children and pregnant women are particularly sensitive to BPA, the risks to their health and the environment must be evaluated and regulated, he observed.
Dr Md Mahbubur Rahman, project coordinator of Environmental Intervention Unit of icddr,b, stated that EDC is a new concern, and it's critical to focus on removing EDCs that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable, such as women of reproductive age, the unborn fetus, and children.
