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Are there toxic chemicals in your grocery store receipt?

<name>Sean McCann, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago</name> <foaf:homepage rdf:resource="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sean-mccann-2762674"/>· 28 septembre 2026

Receipts are printed on thermal paper, which often contains bisphenols. alvarez/E+ via Getty Images “Would you like your receipt?” It’s a question you’re likely to hear every time you pop into the grocery store or stop for a latte on the way to work. Some people may also have heard warnings that ha…

Résumé

What are receipts made of

Grocery store and other receipts are printed on thermal paper, a special type that contains chemicals called bisphenols.

These chemicals act as developers, reacting to heat to create the black print on receipts.

The most common bisphenols in receipts are bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS).

BPA has been widely used since the 1950s in products like hard plastic water bottles, food containers, and even baby bottles, though many manufacturers have phased it out.

BPS is a newer alternative often used after BPA was restricted in some products.

Thermal paper receipts use these chemicals because they are heat-sensitive, allowing printers to create text without traditional ink.

Fax machines also used this technology in the past.

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