Thermal paper is used for a variety of purposes such as receipts, parking tickets and packaging labels. Heat is applied to develop texts or images on paper. To ensure that this is possible, the paper contains a developer, for instance BPA.
BPA is classified as a reproductive toxicant that may damage fertility, and an EU restriction on the content of BPA in thermal paper of 0.02 weight% has been in force since January 2020. As a result, alternatives to developers in thermal paper are in demand.
Alternative developers not harmless
DHI has participated in a survey and screening of six developers on the Danish market: BPA, BPS, BPS-MAE, TGSA, Pergafast 201 and D-8. The screening shows that BPS may have the same hazardous effects as BPA and D-8 is suspected of being allergenic. The report concluded that further knowledge and data are required to be able to establish if there are better alternatives to BPA.
The project was carried out on behalf of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. View the report Survey and risk assessment of developers in thermal paper
You can also get more information from one of the report’s co-authors:
Poul Bo Larsen
pbl@dhigroup.com
Tel +45 4516 9478
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