This piece of news a bit solemn and cheering at the same time. Cheering because people like me will have perhaps one more excuse to add to “tired” or “don’t feel like it” when we’re targeted by someone for a shopping mule and solemn because it can harm our health not only in stores but also, other locations giving service that use receipts (practically everywhere).

Today, a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group released concerning findings of an abnormal presence of bisphenol A found in printed receipts. The research took dozens of receipts and tested them for bisphenol A or simply known as BPA. Of the receipts tested, 40% had a high concentrated level of BPA. Receipts were gathered from various locations including local gas stations, WalMart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and even in government cafeterias.

Obviously, one can’t know which receipt from which store has the abnormal level of BPA, so the millions of people in frequent contact with printed receipts are advised to keep it away from infants, wash their hands after touching receipts, dispose of the receipts by trash (not recycling), and never to let receipts touch food or water. It was also discovered during the study, that BPA in some receipts can come off on the skin.

This isn’t the first time the use of bisphenol A has come under scrutiny, public health officials had voiced concerns over it use in plastic bottles used to feed babies and the average consumer’s exposure to BPA. Prostate and breast cancer can be caused by a high level of BPA; along with these illnesses, the FDA determined back in January that BPA can affect early neurological development in a child. Moreover, previous studies indicated the high level of BPA found in some of today’s receipts could bring about even more serious health problems including disastrous effects on human glands.