Shopping Tip
Decline Unnecessary Receipts
Shoppers need to be wary of receipts that come on thermal imaging paper, the kind of coated paper that faxes used to arrive
on and some cash registers still routinely spit out. Many of these types of receipts are laced with bisphenol A (BPA), the estrogen-mimicking chemical present in many hard plastic bottles and metal-based food and beverage cans since the 1960s. The amount the receipts carry isn’t trivial. “When people talk about polycarbonate bottles, they
talk about nanogram quantities of BPA [leaching out],” says John C. Warner, co-founder of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Industry. “The average cash register receipt that uses the BPA technology will have 60 to 100 milligrams of free BPA.” (This means it’s not bound into a polymer, as in polycarbon- ates, he explains, but is just loose molecules ready for uptake.) In Warner’s opinion, when it comes to BPA in the
urban environment, “the biggest exposure will be these cash register receipts.” Once on the fingers, BPA can be transferred to foods. A 2010 Food and Drug Administration update sup- ports U.S. industry’s actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles and feeding cups and to find alternatives for infant formula cans. The best bet for now is to minimize acceptance of
such receipts, keep them out of kids’ hands and wash hands after touching one. Store them in a separate, zipped plastic bag away from the kitchen and not in a wallet. According to Grist.org, such receipts are non-recyclable; check with the lo- cal municipality for exceptions.
Elder Moment
National Senior Health & Fitness Day
An estimated 100,000 older adults will par- ticipate in local fitness activities throughout the country on May 26 as part of the 17th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day. Senior centers, health clubs, hos- pitals, parks and recreation depart- ments, and retirement communities will host some 1,000 events. Typi- cal programs include small group exercise demonstrations, walking tours and health fairs. Nationally, the initiative is orchestrated by Mature Market Resource Center, an information clearinghouse for older adult programs.
May 2010
25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64