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This is insanely cute! But please strongly consider not buying one. Especially if you have kids, or are planing to have kids. This printer uses thermal paper,
by dcx 5y ago
This is insanely cute! But please strongly consider not buying one. Especially if you have kids, or are planing to have kids.
This printer uses thermal paper, which uses BPA or BPS to develop the print, which rubs off easily [1]. BPA and BPS are absorbed into the body through the skin [2]. The amount used is 250-1000x the amount found in plastic bottles [3]. BPA and BPS are endocrine disruptors, and prolonged exposure to even low levels can result in severe endocrine and reproductive health issues (including birth defects); high levels are associated with a huge range of health issues [4].
Lobbying has clouded this issue in public perception [5]. But it's telling that supermarket cashiers have elevated levels of BPA in their systems, and the associated markers of health damage [6].
[1] https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20101207/bpa-can-rub-off-from-receipts-and-money-study-finds https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20101207/bpa-can-rub-off-f...
[2] https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2016/12/23/is-bpa-on-thermal-paper-a-health-hazard https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/blog/2016/12/23/is...
[3] https://www.pca.state.mn.us/green-chemistry/bpa-thermal-paper https://www.pca.state.mn.us/green-chemistry/bpa-thermal-pape...
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221205 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221205
[5] https://www.paperrolls.com.au/why-is-phenol-free-thermal-paper-so-important https://www.paperrolls.com.au/why-is-phenol-free-thermal-pap...
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27729163/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27729163/
- andreareina 5y agoThey make phenol-free thermal paper.
- dcx 5y agoInteresting - that looks like it could be safe, though I don’t know enough to be certain (we all know how “BPA free” turned out). But either way it’s absolutely not the default when you buy online, which it looks like people in this post are doing, hence my comment.
- l8rlump 5y agoI don’t see much reference to “BPA free” anymore. Why is that?
- dcx 5y agoBecause it was bullshit - manufacturers simply switched to BPS or other alternatives that hadn't specifically been tested yet, but were the same or worse. It turns out BPA is very hard to find a safe alternative for. And people started to realise it was bullshit. Lots of articles like this online if you google - https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/many-bpa-free-plastics-are-toxic-some-are-worse-than-bpa https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/many-bpa-free-plasti...
- schwartzworld 5y agoDoing a little research, the fully phenol-free options use either vitamin C or a urea-based mixture.