BPS Joins BPA Ban in Thermal Paper

Switzerland has initiated a ban on Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS) in thermal paper that will take effect in June 2020, and Costco Canada just announced it has committed to phasing out BPA and BPS-coated thermal paper by the end of 2019.

BPA is a synthetic compound that has long been used in the production of a range of consumer products, including dyes used in thermal receipt paper, polycarbonate plastics, and epoxy resins. It is a known endocrine disruptor due to its ability to mimic naturally occurring human hormones in the body. Regulatory agencies worldwide have recognized the harmful effects of BPA and have banned its use in certain products related to human exposure, namely in children’s products and food and beverage containers. Manufacturers have responded to consumer and regulatory concerns related to BPA by using alternative bisphenol compounds such as BPS.

BPS has largely been used as an alternative to BPA in thermal receipt paper, and there are concerns that BPS exhibits similar endocrine disrupting activity to BPA.

Bisphenols are prominently listed as chemicals of concern in human exposure programs like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Japan National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), and the European biomonitoring initiative (HBM4EU). CIL offers BPA and BPS analytical standards, along with several other related bisphenol alternatives for testing needs.