Overview
Bisphenol A is a high-volume industrial chemical built into many everyday plastics. It forms the backbone of polycarbonate and of epoxy resins, and it serves as a colour developer in some thermal paper. Concern centres on its biological effects. It is toxic to reproduction and behaves as an endocrine disruptor, interfering with the body's hormone signalling.
Where it's restricted
Bisphenol A appears on the REACH Candidate List as a substance of very high concern. That status triggers communication and notification duties along the supply chain once a substance is present above the threshold in an article.
Beyond the Candidate List, its use as a developer in thermal paper is restricted under REACH Annex XVII. Receipts and similar paper are the most familiar example. Manufacturers have moved much production to alternative developers in response.
Polycarbonate and epoxy resins are the largest uses of bisphenol A by volume, but the thermal paper restriction is what most people encounter directly through everyday receipts.
Typical uses
The chemical turns up in rigid clear plastics, in protective coatings and linings made from epoxy, and as the developer in older thermal paper formulations. Substitution is well underway in several of these areas, though legacy materials remain in circulation.
Note: general educational information, not legal advice. Check the official source before relying on it.