In 2022, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) reviewed studies on Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Bisphenol-S (BPS) in thermal receipt paper, used for grocery, pharmacy, and restaurant receipts. They cited research showing BPA levels in receipts are 250-1,000 times higher than in canned food, with 54-79 micrograms/cm² in half of 18 tested Minnesota businesses. These chemicals absorb through skin, especially in cashiers handling receipts often.

A 2025 pooled cohort study involving 5,306 children from Australia, the U.S., and Canada, published in Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, found that exposure to plastic-derived chemicals before age 5—such as phthalates and BPA—was linked to significantly higher rates of asthma and wheezing in childhood.