Bisphenol A (English name Bisphenol A, BPA for short), also known as polycarbonate in the industry, is an important chemical raw material due to its low price. In thermal printing paper, it is used to improve the strength of the paper, play a role in waterproof and moisture-proof, and make the printed words clearer.
According to the information of the industry association, the current annual output of bisphenol A in China is about 30,000 tons, and 1/3 is used in the paper industry. However, at present, the domestic printing paper industry has no specific regulations on the amount of bisphenol A.
So, what is the content of bisphenol A in the receipt paper currently on the market?
Youth Daily and authoritative organizations carried out bisphenol A public welfare testing. The results showed that the content of bisphenol A in receipts printed by ATM machines was 0.9%, and the content of bisphenol A in fax paper was 1.3%. Relevant experts said that this content is not considered. low, which is indeed worth paying attention to.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a US environmental protection organization, has sampled receipts issued by a number of commercial institutions in seven states in the United States, and tested 36 of them. The results showed that more than 40% of the receipts contained excessive amounts of the toxic substance bisphenol A, and the content of bisphenol A in these 40% receipts was 250 to 1000 times that of known products containing bisphenol A (such as plastic bottles, feeding bottles, etc.).
Is Bisphenol A harmful to the human body?
According to the British “Daily Telegraph” report on the 28th, a new study published in the American “Fertility and Infertility” magazine showed for the first time that bisphenol A can also reduce sperm motility and quality, leading to male infertility. BPA can interfere with the human endocrine system, resulting in abnormal hormone secretion. Early research has linked the substance to low libido, impotence, and impaired sperm DNA. And a new 5-year study found a direct link between blood BPA levels and male fertility.
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Oakland, California, USA surveyed 514 Chinese workers and found that men with higher urinary BPA levels had a 2-4 times higher risk of quality problems such as low sperm concentration and poor motility. In addition, blood BPA levels were inversely related to sperm quality. Even men with BPA levels below the U.S. average have significantly affected fertility. picture
Dr. Dekun Li, a Chinese reproductive expert, said that compared with men without BPA found in their urine, men with higher urinary BPA levels had a more than three-fold increased risk of low sperm concentration and poor survival, and sperm The risk of low numbers was more than 4-fold increased and the risk of reduced sperm motility increased by 2-fold. Dr. Dekun Li warned that everyone should stay away from BPA as much as possible. BPA may also affect the female reproductive system and may increase the risk of various cancers or metabolic diseases. It is also reported that the United States and Canada have banned the use of BPA.
Relevant studies in China also concluded that bisphenol A is harmful to the human body. In 2007, experts from the Shanghai Institute of Family Planning and the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University conducted a special study on the effect of bisphenol A on male endocrine. The results showed that men exposed to BPA were four times more likely to develop erectile dysfunction and seven times more likely to experience ejaculation difficulties. The results of this study are the first direct evidence that long-term exposure to BPA is harmful to health.
Professor Wu Mingjian from the School of Chemical Engineering of Zhengzhou University said that prolonged exposure to bisphenol A is harmful to liver and kidney functions. In addition, BPA is an endocrine disrupting substance that may cause endocrine disorders. Bisphenol A is mainly harmful to the fetus. For pregnant women, bisphenol A may cause fetal malformations. For adults, it will affect men more than women, mainly affecting male fertility.
Now, bisphenol A has been recognized as a chemical additive that is harmful to human body in the world, and the relevant laws and regulations of the United States and Canada have made clear regulations on the scope and dosage of bisphenol A. For bisphenol A used in food packaging, my country also has relevant regulations: the content standard of bisphenol A in packaging products is 0.6 mg/kg.
Touch the printer receipt, can the bisphenol A in the printer receipt enter the human body?
Joe Brown, an epidemiologist at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, and his team measured BPA (bisphenol A) concentrations in the urine of 389 pregnant women and then categorized the data by occupation.
Cashiers, who are exposed to receipts far beyond the average person, have the highest concentration of BPA in their urine, reaching 2.8 micrograms per gram. This compared to 1.8 micrograms per gram for teachers and 1.2 micrograms per gram for industrial workers, and the results showed that people who were regularly exposed to receipts had 50 percent higher levels of BPA than others.
Although there were only 17 cashiers in the sample, Brown said he was “very confident” in the findings, especially after Zalko published his findings: “The hypothesis that BPA is absorbed through the skin is valid”. We should not only choose high quality thermal paper, but also choose the leading thermal paper company.
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