"Touch It for Just 5 Seconds and It Could Be a Problem"... Why You Shouldn't Handle Receipts After Applying This [Health Talk]

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\r\n[Financial News] An expert has warned that the habit of casually touching store receipts or shipping label stickers may have a negative impact on health. In particular, hand cream and hand sanitizer applied for moisturizing or hygiene purposes can instead become a pathway that helps harmful chemicals enter the body, so extra caution is needed.
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Eunjeong Choi, a professor of science education at Ewha Womans University, recently appeared on the YouTube channel Doctor Friend and warned about the characteristics and risks of thermal paper used for receipts. Thermal paper is a specially coated paper that displays text when exposed to heat. Because it does not require ink, it is widely used for store receipts, bank queue tickets, shipping labels, and parking tickets.
The problem lies in the chemicals used on the surface of thermal paper as color-developing agents. Bisphenol A (BPA), which was widely used in the past, has been found to be harmful, and BPA-free products have recently become more common. However, Bisphenol S (BPS) and Bisphenol F (BPF), which are used as substitutes, also have similar chemical structures and are not entirely free from concerns over their potential harmful effects.
Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors, often called "environmental hormones." They act in the body in a way similar to the female hormone estrogen, and numerous studies have linked them to reduced sperm counts, precocious puberty, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Experts say the most dangerous moment is touching a receipt right after applying hand sanitizer or hand cream. Choi emphasized, "Research has shown that when hand cream has been applied, the amount of bisphenols absorbed can increase by as much as 100 times compared with normal levels."
According to Choi, the oil-based ingredients in hand cream can easily dissolve bisphenols, which are highly oil-soluble, and carry them deep into the skin. In addition, the alcohol in hand sanitizer temporarily loosens the skin barrier, accelerating the penetration and absorption of outside harmful substances.
According to actual studies, even touching a BPA-containing receipt for about five seconds can allow 0.2 to 0.6 micrograms of bisphenols to be absorbed through the skin. In the case of supermarket cashiers, who handle receipts frequently as part of their jobs, some studies have reported significantly higher urinary BPA levels than those found in the general public.
Experts agree that minimizing unnecessary contact with thermal paper in daily life is the most practical preventive measure. First, it is advisable to reduce paper receipts and actively use electronic receipts through smartphone apps and other digital services.
If you must handle a receipt or shipping label, it is safer to hold the uncoated back side rather than the smooth printed front. Also, after touching thermal paper, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap as soon as possible to prevent the chemicals from being absorbed through the skin.
Extra care is also needed when receipts must be kept for a long time for returns or expense documentation. Rather than putting them directly into a wallet, it is better to seal them in a separate envelope or zip-top bag to prevent contact with other items. In addition, guardians should closely supervise infants and toddlers, whose skin is delicate and more vulnerable to harmful substances, so they do not handle receipts or shipping labels like toys or put them in their mouths.
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moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter