Project
Risk Assessment
Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Hazard Identification

Chemical Exposure: Many chemicals found in receipt paper pose several hazards during handling. Exposure can occur through contact with the skin, inhalation, or the contamination of non-laboratory items and clothing1 2.

Evaluation

Level of Risk to Workers

Manufacturing workers face higher risks compared to those handling receipts, because of the higher concentrations of chemicals and the various potential exposure pathways3 4.

Measurement of Risk

  • Biomonitoring: The most frequently employed method involves assessing the levels of chemicals in workers’ urine or blood5 6.

  • Air Sampling: Measuring airborne dust levels or any solvents used throughout the processes7 8.

Exposure Limits

As the manufacturing of receipt paper’s chemical elements occurs in a laboratory environment, regulators rarely publish specific OELs. Therefore, laboratory chemical safety summary (LCSS) datasheets for the most frequently used chemicals will be consulted for reference.

ChemicalGHS Pictogram DescriptionHazard Statement‡
Fluorant† 9
GHS07
H413 (100%)*
Crystal Violet Lactone10
GHS07
H315 (88.39%)
H319 (88.39%)
H335 (100%)
Bisphenol A (BPA)11
GHS05GHS07GHS08GHS09
H317 (99.92%)
H318 (99.92%)
H335 (100%)
H360 (19.31%)
H361 (79.66%)
H411 (12.97%)
Bisphenol S (BPS)12
GHS07GHS08GHS09
H360 (53.91%)
H360FD (91.74%)

†Note: As fluorant represents a broad category of compounds, the LCSS for ODB-2 (the most common application) is presented.
‡Note: Part of the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS), the hazard statement is a signal word and precautionary risk factor. Refer to the PubChem glossary for further details.
*Note: The percentage value in parentheses indicates the notified classification ratio from companies that provide hazard codes.

Types of Workers Most at Risk

  • Machine Operators: Workers who are directly involved in the coating and drying processes3 4.

  • Maintenance Workers: Workers who clean and maintain machinery can be exposed to chemical residues3.

  • Quality Control Personnel: Workers handling precursor agents and receipt paper for testing3.

Potential Burden of Injury/Illness

  • Endocrine disruption: Especially with BPA and BPS, exposure can affect reproductive health, metabolism, and development3 13.

  • Increased Risk of Cancer: Research suggests a potential association with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other forms5 6.

  • Cardiovascular and Metabolic Issues: Certain chemicals may elevate the risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity3 4.

Control

Elimination and Substitution: Some manufacturers have shifted to alternatives without BPA, BPS, or other phenol-based agents14. However, adoption is not universal and is difficult to assess5 14.

Engineering Controls: While well-ventilated work areas, dust collection systems, and enclosed coating processes exist, their effectiveness and consistency remains uncertain for receipt paper’s agents5 14.

Administrative Controls: Job rotation, limiting exposure time, and hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing, are probable measures5.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Gloves and respirators should be (and typically are) standard practice5 14.

  1. Gogoi A, Neog B. The dark side of thermal printed paper. Curr Sci. 2016 Jan;110(1):11–2. ↩︎

  2. Biedermann S, Tschudin P, Grob K. Transfer of bisphenol A from thermal printer paper to the skin. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2010 Sep 1;398(1):571–6. ↩︎

  3. Liao C, Kannan K. Widespread Occurrence of Bisphenol A in Paper and Paper Products: Implications for Human Exposure. Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Nov 1;45(21):9372–9. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. Caporossi L, Papaleo B. Bisphenol A and Metabolic Diseases: Challenges for Occupational Medicine. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Sep;14(9):959. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. Bousoumah R, Leso V, Iavicoli I, Huuskonen P, Viegas S, Porras SP, et al. Biomonitoring of occupational exposure to bisphenol A, bisphenol S and bisphenol F: A systematic review. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Aug 20;783:146905. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. Ndaw S, Remy A, Denis F, Marsan P, Jargot D, Robert A. Occupational exposure of cashiers to bisphenol S via thermal paper. Toxicol Lett. 2018 Dec 1;298:106–11. ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. Pivnenko K, Pedersen GA, Eriksson E, Astrup TF. Bisphenol A and its structural analogues in household waste paper. Waste Manag. 2015 Oct 1;44:39–47. ↩︎

  8. Astrup TF, Tonini D, Turconi R, Boldrin A. Life cycle assessment of thermal Waste-to-Energy technologies: Review and recommendations. Waste Manag. 2015 Mar 1;37:104–15. ↩︎

  9. PubChem. 2-Anilino-3-methyl-6-(dibutylamino)fluoran [Internet]. Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) Datasheet. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 20]. Available from: PubChem ↩︎

  10. PubChem. Crystal Violet Lactone [Internet]. Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) Datasheet. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 20]. Available from: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/73773 ↩︎

  11. PubChem. Bisphenol A [Internet]. Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) Datasheet. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 20]. Available from: PubChem ↩︎

  12. PubChem. 4,4’-Sulfonyldiphenol (Bisphenol S) [Internet]. Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary (LCSS) Datasheet. 2024 [cited 2024 Feb 20]. Available from: PubChem ↩︎

  13. Hormann AM, Saal FS vom, Nagel SC, Stahlhut RW, Moyer CL, Ellersieck MR, et al. 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 Oct 22;9(10):e110509. ↩︎

  14. Ribeiro E, Ladeira C, Viegas S. Occupational Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA): A Reality That Still Needs to Be Unveiled. Toxics. 2017 Sep;5(3):22. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

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