Research Shows Skin is No Protection from BPA Exposure

We recently learned that BPA is a chemical used in something that passes through our hands every day, the cash register receipt. But even though Canada has declared BPA to be toxic, many companies continue to use this chemical in receipt paper manufacturing as well as in many other common everyday household items. Why haven't companies quit using BPA in their products; after all does BPA really pass through a person's skin?

Does BPA really get absorbed through contact with your skin?

Recent research has proven that this harmful chemical really does pass through your skin and can be absorbed into your blood stream. In the case of cash register receipt paper, BPA is in a powdered form that coats the paper and then can be rubbed off onto your skin. The pores in your skin can absorb the chemical and then it can be transmitted throughout your body through your blood stream.

The BPA test on skin

The French National Institute for Agricultural Research in Toulouse recently conducted experiments led by toxicologist Daniel Zalko using BPA and pig's ears. In this experiment, pig's ears were collected immediately after slaughter and then varying amounts of BPA were applied to the pig skin. The lowest dose applied was comparable to that which would rub off onto a person's hands when handling receipt paper. Within three days of applying the BPA dose more than half of it had been absorbed into the dead skin, causing researchers to suggest that if it had been on a live animal it would have been absorbed into the bloodstream.

The University of Missouri-Columbia conducted similar testing using healthy skin taken from women's abdomens during surgeries. The results were similar, with almost half of the BPA that was applied passing through tissue. The findings available online at Chemosphere states that it is "unequivocal in showing that yes, BPA can go through human skin," (Oct. 27 2010 issue, Fredrick vom Sal)

BPA, Pregnancy and Cashiers

These test results may now explain why among 400 pregnant women in the Cincinnati area, those that were cashiers had the highest concentrations of BPA in their urine. In a second study, conducted by epidemiologists at Harvard University, the urine of 389 pregnant women was tested for BPA levels, finding that when the occupation and high levels of BPA were correlated, those that were cashiers had higher levels, while teachers had lower levels of BPA.

In an earlier report on BPA and cash register receipts it was reported that "The highest levels of BPA were found in cash register receipts from; KFC, the U.S. House of Representatives Cafeteria, The United States Postal Service, and Whole Foods (really "Whole Foods? Where I got to get all the organic products I love?). Surprisingly the stores or businesses with the lowest level of or no BPA included the store Target, Bank of America and the U.S. Senate Cafeteria had none. Maybe now Representatives will take the threat seriously." (Cash Register Receipts Are a Surprising Home to BPA)

BPA Dangers and Protection

BPA, or Bisphenol-A, is an endocrine disruptor, a chemical that acts like the hormones of the endocrine system and disrupts their normal function. You may have heard of other endocrine disruptors like phthalates, PCB, and DDT. The effects may include low sperm count, LowT, birth defects, breast cancer, obesity and many other harmful physical effects.

Consider taking these precautions:

Wear gloves when at work that provides a higher risk of contact with thermal/cash register receipt papers.

Wash hands frequently.

Place receipts that you receive in envelopes to be shredded and thrown in the trash; since some research indicates "crumbling" the receipts to expose you to more BPA than simply touching.

Consumers may not always know when BPA is involved in their products, from cash register receipts to plastics, but one company has plans to change that. Appleton Paper, which also happens to be the unsung hero in the efforts to not use BPA, has began embedding tiny little red fibers to mark its BPA free papers. Other companies, bottle and baby in particular, have also started strongly advertising their products as "BPA" free. Maybe the more that consumers depend on those products marked and marketed at BPA free, the more companies will follow suit by eliminating this potentially long term dangerous chemical from their production and manufacturing efforts. While Canada may have "come a long way baby," the US may have some growing pains to work through when it comes to eliminating the dangers associated with BPA use.

Sources:

Science News Dec. 4, 2010

Science Direct

Environmental Health Perspectives