‘Would you like your receipt?’

It’s a question you’re likely to hear every time you pop into the grocery store or stop for a latte on the way to work.

Some people may have heard warnings that have circulated for more than 15 years that if you say yes, toxic chemicals might rub off on your fingertips.

As a recent example, a 2025 study from the Center for Environmental Health, a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on toxic chemicals in consumer products, claimed that holding a paper receipt for only 10 seconds could result in exposure to unsafe levels of toxic chemicals.

Could something so commonplace really be slowly poisoning people?

Receipts are printed on a special type of paper – thermal paper – which often contains chemicals called bisphenols, an industrial chemical used to make plastics, resins and coatings. These chemicals are potentially – but not necessarily – toxic.

So, like many questions in toxicology, the answer to whether receipts are dangerous to handle is: It depends.

What are bisphenols and where are they found?
Bisphenols are man-made chemicals that have been widely used in industrial manufacturing since the 1950s.

Several different types exist, each with a letter standing for the chemical they are made from. The bisphenol produced using a molecule called acetone is called bisphenol A, or BPA. Bisphenol S (BPS) is made using a sulfur atom, and bisphenol F (BPF) is made using formaldehyde.

These chemicals are used to create a type of transparent and shatter-resistant plastic called polycarbonate, found in products including hard plastic water bottles, food storage containers and eyeglass lenses. Bisphenols are also ingredients in epoxy resins, which are used to coat the inside of bottle caps and metal food and drink containers. Some products still use these chemicals, though many manufacturers have phased them out.

Thermal receipt paper uses bisphenol – usually BPA or BPS – as a developer, or the chemical that makes the printed letters or numbers appear.

The bisphenol is combined with a colorless ink and applied as a microscopic, heat-sensitive film to the paper. Instead of using ink, a receipt printer applies heat to this thermal paper, causing the bisphenol and the dye to react and changing the dye from colorless to black. Fax machines, back in the day, also relied on this technology.

Read More: Cancer-linked chemicals in receipts can be absorbed by the body, expert warns