The one time to avoid hand sanitiser
Do you ever use a squirt of hand sanitiser before you order your coffee or lunch at a café? If your hands have been sanitised just before you take your receipt, you could be exposing yourself to huge amounts of the chemical BPA.
Yes, the same chemical that we all look to avoid in our plastics (you can get BPA free drink bottles, ice cube trays and Tupperware now) is in the paper receipts that you handle every day.
Hand sanitiser is designed to break through the protective outer layers of your skin in order to be effective. But this means that your hands are also left exposed to chemicals, such as BPA.
Related link: Is it safe to microwave plastic containers?
A study published in the Journal PLoS One showed that people who held a paper receipt after using some hand sanitiser had 185 times more BPA chemical on their hands, compared to people who held receipts but hadn’t used sanitiser. When their blood and urine samples were compared, the hand sanitiser users had much high levels of BPA in their systems.
If you’re wondering why we should be worried about exposure to BPA, it can actually increase the changes of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
So, what is the best idea to avoid exposing yourself to the harsh chemical? Say “no thanks” to the receipt. If you happen to work in a shop that requires you to deal with receipts on a regular basis, it would be advisable to wear gloves.
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