Whether you are trying to get pregnant – or just trying to stay healthy – a study from the University of Missouri shows that handling of receipts can lead to high levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) to be consequently found in the blood levels of the men and women handling such receipts (click here to view the full study).

You may have heard of BPA being used in water bottles and other plastic containers. The reason BPA can be harmful – especially for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant – is that it is an “endocrine distrputer.” In other words, it alters hormones like estrogen in your body and disrupts the natural flow of your body’s hormone signaling mechanisms. Receipts from department stores, ATM receipts, and other thermal paper have been found to have massive amounts of BPA. The BPA is more likely to become absorbed in your bloodstream if your hands contain some type of lotion, hand sanitizer or cream.

The best way to avoid BPA exposure from receipts is by not handling them at all. If you don’t need the receipt, don’t take it. Think of how many receipts you automatically handle just because the store gives it to you. Just say “no” in the first place.  If you do need it, and it is an option, ask for your receipt to be e-mailed to you. Some stores tag your packages so that no receipt is needed if you need to later return the product. In an effort to better track of inventory, and also an effort to go “green,” several alternatives to handing over a paper receipt are slowly becoming available.

I hope everyone enjoys shopping with no receipts! In the meantime, I will be spending time with my family in Michigan and wishing my beautiful, perfect cousin Vera a very happy birthday!

Wishing you health and happiness,

~Rita