While looking into workplace exposure research recently, one finding caught our attention: people who handled thermal receipts continuously for two hours without gloves showed a measurable increase in urinary BPA. In a smaller group that repeated the task while wearing nitrile gloves, researchers did not observe the same significant increase.
That finding made us think about a profession that is rarely mentioned when people talk about protective gloves: cashiers.
Most of us hold a receipt for only a few seconds. But a cashier may handle hundreds of receipts during a single shift. Though each interaction lasts only a few seconds, when the same contact happens again and again, a question comes up:
Should reducing skin contact with receipt paper be part of workplace protection?
As a glove provider, we wanted to take a closer look at what the research actually says.
What's Really on a Thermal Receipt?
Most receipts are printed on thermal paper. Unlike ordinary printed paper, thermal paper does not rely on conventional ink. Instead, the paper is coated with chemicals that react to heat and create the printed image.
For many years, one of the most commonly used chemical developers was bisphenol A, or BPA. Today, many businesses have moved toward receipts labeled "BPA-free." But BPA-free does not necessarily mean that thermal receipts are free of similar chemicals.
A 2023 study published in Environmental Pollution tested 571 receipts collected from U.S. retailers in 2022. Researchers found that BPA had become relatively uncommon, appearing as the developer in about 1% of the tested receipts. However, bisphenol S, or BPS, was detected in 85%, making it the most frequently identified developer.
So while BPA use has decreased significantly, BPS has become a common replacement. That does not necessarily mean the exposure question has disappeared.
The more important question is whether chemicals used in thermal paper can transfer during handling, and whether repeated contact can contribute to human exposure.
Can Repeated Receipt Handling Increase Chemical Exposure?
Researchers asked 24 adults to continuously handle thermal receipts for two hours without gloves. Their geometric mean urinary BPA concentration increased from 1.8 micrograms/L before receipt handling to 5.8 micrograms/L afterward.
A smaller group later repeated the task while wearing nitrile gloves. During the glove-wearing condition, researchers did not observe the same significant increase in urinary BPA.
That is a striking result, but it is also important to keep it in perspective.
This was a relatively small pilot study. It does not mean that touching one receipt will make someone sick, and the researchers did not establish what the measured increase meant clinically.
What the study does show is that handling thermal receipts can contribute to measurable BPA exposure.
Another 2018 study followed 54 supermarket cashiers. During the week when they worked without gloves, urinary BPA levels increased by approximately twofold after their shifts. During the week when the same cashiers wore gloves, researchers did not observe the same post-shift increase.
Researchers have also found higher urinary BPS concentrations among cashiers compared with control groups, suggesting that repeated thermal-paper handling may contribute to BPS exposure as well.
So, Should Cashiers Be Wearing Gloves?
Not every cashier is required to wear gloves, and receipt handling alone does not mean that gloves are necessary in every workplace.
But the research does suggest something worth considering:
Gloves are not universally required for cashiers, but frequent thermal-receipt handling can contribute to BPA or BPS exposure. For workers who handle receipts repeatedly throughout a shift, appropriate disposable gloves may be one practical way to reduce unnecessary skin contact.
For some cashiers, glove use may also fit naturally with other parts of the job. Depending on the workplace, employees may also handle cash and coins, clean checkout counters, work around food, or come into frequent contact with shared surfaces. The important point is that gloves should be chosen for the whole job, not just for receipt handling.
The Conclusion
A receipt may seem less concerning to the average shopper, but the situation looks different for cashiers when handling receipts is part of their job.
Current research does not show that every cashier must wear gloves, and it does not prove that occasional receipt contact causes disease.
More broadly, BPA has been widely studied as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, and long-term exposure has raised concerns about potential effects on metabolic, reproductive, developmental, and immune health. In one study of supermarket cashiers, higher urinary BPA levels were also associated with higher fasting insulin and insulin resistance, although the researchers emphasized that further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Taken together, the research shows that frequent thermal-receipt handling can contribute to measurable exposure to chemicals such as BPA and BPS. The BPA studies also suggest that wearing nitrile gloves can help reduce direct skin contact during repeated receipt handling and may therefore help reduce dermal exposure to BPA.
For us at Shamrock, we hope our gloves can play a practical role in helping people reduce everyday workplace exposures, especially those that are easy to overlook.
At Shamrock, we believe in providing the right glove for the right person at the right price. You do your jobs, and we take care of you.
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