Why don't you take the cash register ticket with wet hands?

Why don't you take the cash register ticket with wet hands?

People say that canned food is too bad to eat. Do you know why? A very important reason is that most of the cans are lined with a BPA-containing coating. One study showed that people who drank five days of canned soup had 12 times more BPA in the urine than those who drank fresh soup.

What is BPA? BPA is bisphenol A, the English name Bisphenol A, which is a chemical raw material. In the manufacture of plastic products, the addition of bisphenol A makes it colorless, transparent, durable, lightweight and impact resistant. In order to prevent acidic vegetables and fruits from eroding metal containers from the inside, it is widely used in the packaging of canned foods and beverages. BPA is used in the manufacture of sealants, ophthalmic lenses and hundreds of other daily necessities for bottles, water bottles, dental fillings.

What is wrong with BPA? BPA belongs to the Endocrine Disruptor, which mimics the effects of estrogen on the human body and interferes with the body's endocrine system. Just like a fake key inserted into a loose lock, when these chemicals bind to the estrogen receptor, it produces an alternative estrogen effect outside the nucleus, leading to an increase in circulating estrogen.

Many animal studies have demonstrated a link between endocrine disrupting substances (including BPA) and obesity. The estrogen effect induced by bisphenol A has been shown to alter glucose and lipid metabolism in animal studies. In fact, in 2006, the US government hosted an assessment of the scientific literature on BPA. After reviewing hundreds of studies on BPA, 38 experts reached a consensus statement stating that "BPA is found in the human body at concentrations and prostate. Changes in breast, testis, breast tissue, body size, brain structure and chemistry, and behavior of experimental animals."

Since there are these concerns, why not ban BPA applications? Let's first take a look at the attitudes of countries around the world to BPA:

World Health Organization. The hazard assessments of major regulatory agencies and advisory bodies agreed that based on reliable data, BPA's “no observed adverse effects dose” (NOAEL) was 5 mg/kg bw/day. This is more than 500 times the conservative estimate of human exposure (including bottle-fed infants). After assessing the impact of exposure to low-dose BPA on health, particularly neurological and behavioral systems and young children, the World Health Organization (WHO) Panel of Experts did not recommend any new regulations to restrict or prohibit the use of BPA in 2010, stating that “starting public health measures is still It is too early."

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to its recent safety assessment, the current level of BPA in food is safe. Based on ongoing FDA safety review of scientific evidence, existing information continues to support the safety of BPA in currently approved food containers and packaging applications.

Japan. Between 1998 and 2003, the canning industry spontaneously replaced BPA-containing epoxy liners with BPA-free polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in many products. Other products were replaced with different epoxy linings that allowed BPA to migrate into the food to be much smaller than previously used. In addition, polycarbonate tableware for school lunches is replaced with BPA-free plastic. The Japanese risk assessment found that the result of these changes was that BPA was barely tested in canned foods or beverages, and in one study the Japanese blood BPA levels had dropped by 50%.

China. On June 1, 2011, the Ministry of Health and five other departments announced the ban on BPA in the production of baby bottles to protect the health of babies.

Eh? Strange, while saying that the current concentration of BPA in the human body is related to many diseases, the other side said that the current level of BPA in food is safe, what is going on?

It turns out that the default way for regulators to experiment with animals is by intragastric tube feeding, when they are also influenced by BPA in humans, because BPA is transmitted directly to the liver through the mesenteric vessels, and then through the liver. After that, the bioavailability in the blood is less than 1%, which appears to be less harmful. However, if switched to sublingual administration, the absorbance and bioavailability of BPA (~70%) is much higher. In other words, BPA absorption through the stomach may be small, but there may be other ways to enter the body.

One of the worrying avenues is the ticket (small ticket) used by airlines, ATMs, and supermarkets, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and coffee shops that most people would not notice. Their common feature is the use of thermal paper. Thermal paper displays the font by changing its color after exposure to heat, and its surface uses a large dose of free BPA (approximately 20 mg of BPA per gram of paper). A study showed that the use of hand sanitizers or other skin care products prior to exposure to receipts (small tickets) increased BPA absorption by up to 185 times, reaching doses that could lead to obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, infertility and cancer.

The study simulates people's common behaviors in fast food restaurants: first wash their hands with hand sanitizer, then hold the small ticket for the meal for a while, then use that hand to take food (such as French fries) to eat. By testing the BPA attached to the hand, they found that after using the hand sanitizer, a large amount of BPA was transferred from the thermal paper to the hand in just a few seconds. BPA transfers are hundreds of times faster than dry hands. This is because hand sanitizers and skin care products (such as soaps, sunscreens, lotions) contain "dermal penetration enhancers" for enhancing the delivery of active ingredients in the product. This enhanced effect results in a rapid delivery of BPA on the skin. The BPA that is passed to the hand absorbs the skin and absorbs it under the tongue when eating, resulting in a higher BPA content in the blood and urine.

So, please remember the next time, you must take the hand to touch the receipt. And it's best to tell the waiter that you don't need it if possible.