Scientists Invent New Plant-Based Receipts Free of Cancer-Linked 'Forever Chemicals'
Swiss scientists have developed a groundbreaking thermal paper for receipts, eliminating toxic “forever chemicals” like BPA and BPS, which are linked to various health issues including cancer and hormone disruption. This innovative paper utilizes lignin from wood as a color developer and a sugar-based sensitizer, offering a safer, plant-derived alternative. The new formulation produces clear, durable prints comparable to existing BPA-based papers, significantly reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, though further work is needed on print quality and production scalability.
Researchers in Switzerland have achieved a significant breakthrough by inventing a novel thermal paper for receipts that is completely free of “forever chemicals” such as bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS). These common additives in thermal paper have been implicated in a wide array of serious health problems, including certain cancers, hormone disruption, reproductive issues, metabolic disorders, and abnormal fetal development. The new, bio-based solution directly addresses these concerns by replacing the harmful chemical developers with plant-derived alternatives.The core of this innovation stems from using lignin, a primary component found in wood, to act as the color developer, alongside diformylxylose, a sensitizer derived from sugar. Scientists developed a method to extract light-colored, reactive polymers from lignin, which, when applied to paper, yield clear and durable printed images. Laboratory tests demonstrated that this lignin-based paper exhibited substantially less hormone-mimicking activity compared to traditional BPA-based papers, and the sugar-based sensitizer showed no signs of toxicity. While print contrast still needs enhancement to match the very best commercial papers, its overall performance is on par with existing BPA-based options on the market. This development provides a promising, safer, and renewable pathway for everyday products, lessening the health risks associated with handling thermal paper frequently. Future research will focus on refining print quality and scaling up production to meet the substantial demand in the global thermal paper market, which is projected to grow significantly.
