A study released today by the Washington Toxics Coalition found large amounts of Bisphenol A, a chemical that disrupts hormones and has been linked to cancer, on thermal paper receipts and dollar bills tested in 10 states and the District of Columbia.
"Our findings demonstrate that BPA cannot be avoided, even by the most conscious consumer," said Erika Schreder, lead author of "On the Money: BPA in Dollar Bills and Receipts."
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A study released today reports that BPA from cash register receipts can also be found on the money in your wallet.
"This unregulated use of large amounts of BPA is having unintended consequences, including exposure to people when we touch receipts," she said in a statement posted on the group's website.
The study also supports research reported exclusively earlier this year by AOL News.
Researchers discovered high concentrations of the chemical in more than half of 22 thermal paper receipts collected from large retail stores. Lower amounts were found on 21 of 22 dollar bills tested, the study says.
Manufacturers of the ubiquitous chemical -- found products such as plastic bottles and trash-can liners -- have long insisted the substance is safe. But it has come under increasingly strict regulations in other countries, most notably in Canada, which became the first country to deem BPA a toxic chemical.
Late last month, the European Union voted to ban the so-called "gender-bending" chemical from baby bottles.
In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed "some concern" about potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and young children, according to its website.
Today's study release noted that BPA on thermal paper receipts is in powder form and easily transferred to human skin and inanimate objects. The report asks Congress to pass stricter laws regulating chemical production and testing.
