Like the better-known chemical BPA, BPS is an endocrine disruptor linked to breast cancer and reproductive toxicity.
I remember hearing about basically this literally a decade ago. Nothing’s been done about it since then. Nothing will be done about it now. Not unless we make a fuss about it at which point they’ll pretend to give a shit about us and make grand gestures towards transitioning away from receipts made from hazardous materials. Meanwhile, they’ll continue to knowingly expose us to some other hazardous material for the next decade until some independent research team uncovers how it’s slowly poisoning everybody who comes into contact with it. And thus the cycle continues.
Under capitalism, there is no incentive to do anything for the benefit of humankind when it comes into conflict with the ultimate goal of accumulating as much wealth for yourself as humanly possible. It will always corrupt.
Banned in Germany since 2020; 2025 banned across Europe. So not a capitalism problem per se, more like an government problem
The governments you’re referring to are socially funded institutions that exist to protect the populace against the exploitations of capitalism. Sadly, they are the exception to many other governments which have let the corruption that capitalism breeds take hold.
So corruption isn’t a government problem?
Looked it up, could only find bans of BPA, which has since been replaced with BPS. Can you confirm BPS is actually banned?
https://www.packaginglaw.com/news/eu-bans-bpa-and-other-bisphenols-food-contact-materials
But you right, I mixed up BPA/BPS buz in the link its mentioned that EU also banned BPS
„The revised regulation adopted in December applies the restrictions to BPS and other hazardous bisphenols and bisphenol derivatives […]“
not a capitalism problem per se, more like an government problem
That’s like saying “bleeding is not a stabbing problem per se, more like a bandages problem”
Like, yeah, keeping a stockpile of bandages is probably a good idea just in case, but maybe we should prevent people from stabbing each other in the first place?
Ooh, ooh! We’ve got those in spades! Pick us! Pick us! Pick US!
Who lobbies the government?
Nothing’s been done about it since then.
Research has gone into safer replacements. Many companies have been switching to BPA-free formulas, most notably CVS (notorious for sheer area of thermal paper receipts) that went BPA/BPS free in 2019. Some governments have banned BPA thermal paper, and others, including the EU, have set limits. BPA has been getting phased out because of these studies.
Nothing will be done about it now.
Well no, this organization is lining up to try to replicate the success with getting BPA out of thermal paper by trying to get BPS replaced, too.
Here’s a study of Switzerland. Between 2014 and 2019, the incidence of BPA thermal paper went from 81% down to around 50%, and then after the ban it went to around 10%. BPS has seen some backsliding, and has increased from 3.1% to 19.1%. Still, that’s a significant reduction in the past decade of papers that use either BPA or BPS.
People are doing the work. There’s no reason to sit around and do nothing and complain that others are doing nothing, too.
Thanks for fact-checking me, it’s good to know that there are pockets of the world that are trying to do the right thing. And sorry for my pessimism, I live in America.
“Oh, you don’t need to get a receipt if you give us your email address instead…”
I just don’t imagine a scenario where I’d need to prove I bought a donut.
Retail workers getting fucked again
Food service workers as well.
From a Kirkland, Washington, USA health hazards sheet that I found in a quick search:
TIPS TO REDUCE EXPOSURES TO BISPHENOLS IN RECEIPTS:
- DO NOT compost or recycle receipts and other thermal paper. BPA & BPS residues from receipts will contaminate recycled paper.
- Minimize receipt collection by declining receipts at gas pumps, ATMs and other machines when possible.
- Never give a child a receipt to hold or play with.
- After handling a receipt, wash hands before preparing and eating food.
- Do not use alcohol-based hand cleaners after handling receipts. A recent study showed that these products can increase the skin’s BPA absorption.
- Take advantage of store services that email or archive paperless purchase records.
- Store receipts separately in an envelope in a wallet or purse.
HAZARDS FOUND IN LABORATORY TESTS INCLUDE:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Early Puberty
- Cardiovascular system disorders
- Abnormal reproductive system development
- Hormone abnormalities in children
- Susceptibility to various cancers
- Resistance to chemotherapy
- Diminished intellectual capacity
So THAT’S why I’m fat and have a small dick!
Obligatory Mitch Hedberg:
I don’t need a receipt for a doughnut. I’ll just give you the money, and you give me the doughnut. End of transaction! We don’t need to bring ink and paper into this! I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d have to prove that I bought a doughnut. Some skeptical friend…‘Don’t even act like I didn’t get that doughnut! I’ve got the documentation right here! Oh, wait, it’s back home, in the file. Under d…for doughnut.’
Obligatory Patrice O’Neal retort:
“I do a lot of stuff to protect myself. I keep my receipts. I collect receipts 'cause that’s a trail of where you been, man. Everywhere I go I get a receipt. And I never go more than a half hour without buying something cause you could kill somebody in a half hour, and then you need an alibi.”
My company’s accountant: if there is no receipt, you had no doughnut, you get no reimbursement.
I mean, yes, but that breaks down when you start thinking about a donut, two croissants, a cheese scone, and 3 coffees, 2 regular, 1 large, one with regular milk, one with almond milk, and one black, for me and the two friends in the office who then need to think about reimbursement
American much? 😅
Because only Americans buy more than a single donut?
The only people I’ve ever known to not grasp the friendly concept of “I’ve got next”.
If I’m only getting a scone and a small black coffee, I’m not paying for your soy mocha latte with almond sprinkles and unicorn hair. “I’ve got next” is a luxury of those not on a budget. All my friends get it, and we all agree you pay for your own. We save rounds for the bar where everyone is drinking the same thing
Also, fwiw, I’ve never even been to America
If you’ve got “friends” that aren’t mature enough to know better than to stick anyone else with their bullshit order when you’re grabbing “coffee”, I don’t know what to tell ya — but I’d just tell 'em “Nope” and move along. It’s really not that hard, and setting healthy boundaries helps others with theirs (in a perfect world). 🤷🏼♂️🤞🏼 Good luck!
Also, aside from the scenery, you’re not missing much right now.
We were discussing the usefulness of receipts, why are we now discussing the maturity of my friends and my ability to set boundaries?
I’m more than happy to pick up whatever my friends would like… because they’re my friends, and so long as I have hands to carry it, it’s not an imposition.
I just expect them to pay for it. Expecting me to foot the bill WOULD be an imposition, and I wouldn’t be ok with that. THAT is my healthy boundary.
Receipts help with this.
There is no one size fits all when it comes to group dynamics like this, and I’ll thank you to not make assumptions about my friends like that.
Was I not supposed to roll joints with this stuff when I was 18?
I wrote poems on them/my semi erotic Great American Novel about Columbine which will never be published for obvious reasons.
You gotta use apples to smoke as a broke kid. That way, when you are done, you can eat it. It’s a nice sweet hydrating snack and there’s no evidence other than the smell afterwards (I think spleefs/whatever are just lying to oneself out of desperation).
Is there a Lemmy community for comments out of context?
Because even in context this is a wild comment; out of context it would be even better
Stick to the good book, son. That way, you don’t make the baby jeebus cry. Or, you do. I forget. passes left
one of my first joints was made out of binder paper
Oh that’s cool, not like my job requires me to constantly handle reciepts or anything smh
Can you wear gloves?
Maybe, i’ll have to ask
If they say no call OSHA and say your employer is denying you the right to PPE.
They should first verify that they use these kind of printers, I guess.
Show them this article, lawsuits aren’t cheap.
I used to work as a bartender and we kept a pump bottle of hand sanitizer on the sink just in case we were so busy that a 20-second hand wash wasn’t reasonable. -We used thermal paper almost exclusively and I know for a fact that I occasionally had alcohol-laden hands when I was handling that thermal paper.
RIP
and i thought the prices were making me dizzy
CVS employees!?
Want your receipt?
Fuck no! That shits toxic!
I thought BPA and derivatives such as BPS were banned at the federal level. I remember hearing these claims back in 2010. There was a whole campaign with plastic bottles and “BPA-free” marketing.
Yet it’s still used today? Absolutely insane.
Say receipts are toxic.
People need receipts to return items.
Profit!
I always get my receipts emailed so I don’t have to keep track of them and I can just search my email for them.
They fade away after a day regardless.
Nice try big data. U aren’t getting my email that easily!
This_is_another_fake_email@mailinator.com
add a number to the end if it says it’s already been used and won’t let you use it again.
Propaganda works
Gee wiz, does nothing we come in contact with poison us at this point? Good luck getting the Chud Administration to do anything. They would probably tell them to add more poison.
Mean while doctors can’t figure out why cancer rates are spiking
Holding a receipt for 10 seconds? Damn. And is there any tell for BPS-reduced or BPS free receipt paper?
I have receipts all over my place, though I organized them all recently. But now I know to handle them with gloves on next time.
The problem is with receipts on thermal paper, not those printed with normal ink, so [edit:
manysome] receipts are not an issueany more.If you want to tell the difference, you could try applying heat (like a hair dryer or iron) over the receipts and see which ones change color (usually turning grey or black where heated).
Once you find a few, you’ll likely get a feel for which ones are likely to be thermal paper just by looking and you can practice extra care with those. (Tip: they are usually the ones that appear a bit glossy.)
I haven’t seen a receipt printed with normal ink in decades. They’re all thermal now.
The problem is with receipts on thermal paper, not those printed with normal ink, so many receipts are not an issue any more.
Um, you’ve got it backwards, most receipts are now thermally printed. The ink printed receipts are the “outdated” ones.
reason being: thermal receipt printers have higher uptime with lower maintenance costs, they print faster, and use no consumable other than the paper.
at my office we don’t print many receipts, but we use plain paper (letter, half letter or photo paper sized–as appropriate) loaded into a normal inkjet printer that uses cheap (~ $2 ea) knockoff ink cartridges that get recycled (we hope, anyway, when we drop them off at a collection point).
Most receipts use thermal paper that i’ve seen. You can rub one with a coin quickly and that brings up marks on many.
My question is that is it all thermal paper is problematic or some but there’s no telling the difference except to avoid all of that type?
