The enemy you touch every day A little while back, I wrote a Reality Health Check about: phthalates: harmful everyday chemicals that, added up over time, can take a disastrous toll on your health. I cited one study in particular that showed increased exposure to phthalates resulted in lower testosterone in both sexes and a variety of age groups. And, as I mentioned yesterday, low testosterone can be responsible for everything from low sex drive and fatigue, to impaired cognitive and cardiovascular function. What makes phthalates especially scary is that you encounter them every day. But these aren't the only dangerous chemicals you come into contact with on a daily basis. There's another type of environmental toxin that's just as bad. I'm talking about bisphenol A (more commonly known as BPA). If BPA sounds familiar, it's probably because this toxin has been in the news quite a bit over the years. I've written about it here in the Reality Health Check and in my Logical Health Alternatives newsletter numerous times. But it's a subject that bears repeating. Because one of the most disturbing things about BPA is that it lurks in some unexpected places. Most people think of plastic bottles when they think of BPA. But a new study revealed there's an even more common source: receipts. Store and ATM receipts use large amounts of BPA on the paper's surface as a print developer. And while I've mentioned before that these little slips of paper aren't as harmless as they seem, this study highlights just how dangerous they really are. Especially in combination with some other common products that just about everyone has on hand--literally. Researchers found a rapid increase in blood levels of BPA when subjects touched a store receipt after using skin care products. Hand sanitizers, hand creams, soaps, and sunscreen all dramatically increased how quickly BPA was absorbed through skin. As an added step, subjects who had handled the receipts then ate using their hands. And, again, researchers observed that BPA was absorbed very rapidly. As one of the study authors noted: "Our research found that large amounts of BPA can be transferred to your hands and then to the food you hold and eat as well as be absorbed through your skin." That's incredibly scary--especially in light of the fact that BPA has been proven to cause reproductive defects in infants, children and adults. Not to mention cancer, metabolic and immune problems in rodents. The study's author also noted that with the high levels of BPA absorbed from receipts "many diseases such as diabetes and disorders such as obesity increase as well." So next time a cashier asks if you want your receipt, just say "no." And while you shouldn't stop washing your hands (with regular soap and water), it is a good idea to cut back on the use of lotions, creams, and hand sanitizers. Until next time, Dr. Fred Sources: "The Maddening Way That TV Docs Affect Your Practice," MedScape, 9/18/14 "Thermal paper cash register receipts account for high bisphenol A (BPA) levels in humans." ScienceDaily, 10/22/14 "Holding Thermal Receipt Paper and Eating Food after Using Hand Sanitizer Results in High Serum Bioactive and Urine Total Levels of Bisphenol A (BPA)." PLoS ONE, 2014; 9 (10): e110509