BPA receipt 350SPRINGFIELD – A harmful chemical found in most common receipt papers would be barred from use by Illinois businesses under legislation sponsored by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) that was approved by the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee today.

House Bill 2076 would prohibit bisphenol-A (BPA) from being used in paper for business and banking records such as cash register, debit card and sales receipts. BPA is present in most thermal receipt papers to develop color.

“BPA has been proven to cause harmful reproductive and developmental effects in animals,” Gillespie said. “We cannot stand by and wait for BPA’s effects on humans to be seen. We need to be proactive.”

The measure is supported by the Sierra Club, Local 881 UFCW, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Council.

“Tens of thousands of workers and even more consumers are in contact with these papers every day,” said Zach Koutsky, legislative and political director of Local 881 UFCW. “Whether you are on the job or simply going shopping, you deserve to be safe from harmful chemicals.”

Similar legislation was introduced in Illinois in 2012 but did not pass the House. In 2011, Connecticut banned BPA in thermal receipt paper.

The measure now goes before the entire Senate.