10/24/2014

Hand Sanitizer May Increase BPA Absorption

11:44 minutes

About 15 billion pounds of Bisphenol A, or BPA, are produced for commercial use each year. Often found in food and beverage packaging, the chemical—which was originally developed as a form of synthetic estrogen in the 1930s—can also be found in thermal paper receipts. Previous research has found that handling these kinds of receipts can expose people to BPA. This week, a new study in PLOS One, authored by endocrinologist Frederick vom Saal, reports that touching thermal paper after using hand sanitizer can increase the amount of BPA absorbed by the skin 100-fold.

Segment Guests

Frederick vom Saal

Frederick vom Saal is curators’ professor in the division of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia in Columbia, Missouri.

Meet the Producer

About Becky Fogel

Becky Fogel is a newscast host and producer at Texas Standard, a daily news show broadcast by KUT in Austin, Texas. She was formerly Science Friday’s production assistant.