BPA

If like me, you prefer not to drink out of containers which use bisphenol A (BPA) in their making, then you might want to reduce your BPA intake in other ways too. One way to reduce the absorption of this endocrine-disrupting chemical is to not handle thermal paper like used in till receipts if you have hand sanitiser, lotions, soap or suncream on your hands. These products often contain chemicals that enhance skin penetration. If we hold a till receipt in our hands for 60 seconds we only absorb 3 micrograms of BPA. In contrast, if we pre-wet our hands with sanitiser we can absorb up to 300 micrograms in just a few seconds. If your job involves handling till receipts then you might want to consider wearing disposable gloves; just not vinyl gloves, as these too are often made using BPA. There are other materials used in the making of disposable gloves. Some are safe and some not so. I will explain the pros and cons of different disposable glove materials in a future blog. Un-till next time, stay healthy.