How many times per day do you use a hand sanitizer, believing you’re getting rid of nasty germs and viruses, preventing catching that flu that’s been going around? Maybe you spray some on after you’ve been on public transport, or use an anti-bacterial gel a few times per day at the office? Perhaps you even use an antibacterial hand soap at home, before cooking. After all, better safe than sorry, and what’s the harm in that bit of extra hygiene, right?
Turns out; not right at all. Research has shown that not only are hand sanitizers ineffective when it comes to getting rid of viruses and fungi, but on top of that traditional hand sanitizers can also be toxic. An antimicrobial will get rid of bacteria, fungus and viruses, whereas an antibacterial only targets bacteria. The greatest concern with hand sanitizers is triclosan (and the related triclocarbon), the main antibacterial ingredient in nonalcoholic hand sanitizers, and also the chemical that is added to many antibacterial soaps, toothpastes, dishwashing liquids and other hygiene consumer goods.
“There’s no good evidence that triclosan-containing products have a benefit,”
according to Allison Aiello, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. In Europe and the United States, hospitals won’t even use them, she notes; these products do not reduce infections or illness. “Colds are caused by viruses, not bacteria,” Aiello points out.
Dr. Anna Bowen, a medical epidemiologist at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Triclosan-containing products don’t provide any disease protection beyond what you get from washing with soap and water.” What is even more concerning: “When you expose bacteria to triclosan, it can elicit antibiotic resistance,” says Aiello. “Once the resistance is transferred, [pathogenic] bacteria can become resistant to many types of antibiotics.”
Triclosan also affects the natural environment. Wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical, which means it ends up in our lakes, rivers and water sources. That’s especially unfortunate since triclosan is very toxic to aquatic life. And then we haven’t even mentioned the toxicity of this chemical yet. Research has shown that triclosan can disrupt the endocrine system, amplifying testosterone. In animal studies, it’s been shown to reduce muscle strength and that it may also harm the immune system. Whether these findings add up to human toxicity isn’t established yet, but the FDA is currently reviewing the issue. Members of the European Union have already banned or restricted use of the chemical.
Basically, the best thing to do is to skip anti-bacterial soap. Alcohol-based sanitizers, on the other hand, are fairly effective and safe.
“Hand sanitizers that are 60% alcohol are good at killing bacterial pathogens,” says Bowen.
Amazingy carries an organic lavender hand sanitizing spray by Dr. Bronner, which contains 62% organic ethanol. This organic and fair trade hand spray kills 99% of germs without using dangerous chemicals. Certified under the same National Organic Program that certifies food, our hand sanitizer is free of gmo-alcohol and petro-carbomer thickener, with added organic glycerin to moisturize skin. You can find our Organic Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray here. Alternatively, we also have a more luxurious natural hand sanitizer from Less is more, here.
Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com
http://www.ewg.org
http://health.howstuffworks.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Csilla is a huge book nerd, and would talk your ear off about her favourite author for hours if you let her. Even though she works with online media, she secretly longs for the days when people spent time reading real books and real magazines printed on real paper instead of staring at various screens all day. But technological development stops for no one, so instead of fighting it, she decided to embrace the whole thing: she's now a published author on multiple websites, owns a Kindle named Jinx (after her favorite drag queen), and can frequently be seen bumping into trashcans, people and traffic lights around Berlin, reading and walking at the same time.
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