Businesses that use bisphenol thermal receipts may qualify for reimbursement to replace these receipts, cash registers, or both with one of our safer preferred products.
Businesses that qualify can get up to:
- $250 to replace their receipt paper.
- $750 to replace their cash register.
- $1000 to purchase point of sale equipment.
Receipts that contain bisphenols such as bisphenol-A (BPA) or bisphenol-S (BPS) can be harmful to human health and wildlife. Bisphenol-containing thermal paper will be prohibited for sale, manufacture, and distribution in Washington in the near future.
What are bisphenol thermal receipts?
Thermal receipts are commonly used by a wide variety of businesses. They are printed on thermal paper coated with chemicals that change color when exposed to heat, which allows pictures and text to show up. Bisphenols, like BPA, are added to thermal paper as a color developer because they are fairly heat resistant and serve as a dye stabilizer.
What are the health risks of bisphenols?
Bisphenols can be hazardous to the reproductive systems in humans and animals. They are also linked to obesity and attention disorders. Cashiers who handle these receipts regularly have higher levels of BPA in their bodies than people in other occupations.
Handling thermal receipts can be particularly concerning for:
- Pregnant or nursing women.
- Women of childbearing age.
- Adolescents of any gender who are still developing.
Studies from Minnesota and Europe confirm that:
- Most thermal receipts contain bisphenols.
- Individual receipts can have large amounts of bisphenols.
Learn how to protect your employees, the public, and the environment from the impacts of bisphenol thermal receipts.
What are the environmental risks of bisphenols?
Bisphenol thermal receipts are a suspected source of bisphenol contamination in wastewater and groundwater. These types of receipts also cannot be recycled.
What is the purpose of this program?
Small businesses may face challenges switching to non-bisphenol receipts and overburdened and marginalized communities may continue to be impacted by these receipts in the interim. To help qualifying businesses, we are offering to reimburse up to $1,000 to replace bisphenol receipts and equipment with bisphenol-free alternatives.