http://www.memecenter.com/fun/1359685/scumbag-hand-sanitizer
As we move further into the semester and it begins to get colder by the day we can all look forward to sweater weather, cool dorms, falling leaves and best of all, flu season! We all hear the constant nagging to wash our hands, get our flu shots and carry hand sanitizer, but can we be hurting ourselves with the use of hand sanitizers? Many of us carry a travel sized bottle of sanitizer during the winter months to disinfect after touching a door, sharing an elevator, walking to class, basically whenever we can but many claims have been made stating that these products are not only ineffective but also toxic.
To start we need to understand the two types of hand sanitizer, the more popular alcohol based ones and alcohol free alternatives. The main concern is with the alcohol free sanitizers and the main antibacterial ingredient, triclosan. As Allison Aiello, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan says this CNN article, “There’s no good evidence that triclosan-containing products have a benefit”. On Top of this, animal studies have shown that it can cause reduced muscle strength and a weakened immune system as well as possibly causing resistant bacteria to grow. Although this has not been tested in humans yet there is enough evidence here of its ineffectiveness and potential danger to cause European and US hospitals to not even use them.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a2.htm
Luckily, the more common alcohol based sanitizers are proven to be much more effective as long as they are above a 60% alcohol content. Unlike the triclosan based sanitizers, alcohol sanitizers actually work on bacteria and some viruses like the cold although they can not kill the fast spreading norovirus that is a common occurrence in places where a large number of people are living in close quarters (ahem, like a dorm). As the graph above from the CDC shows, the alcohol sanitizers are the only ones to receive an excellent rating in all five categories. Even though they receive these excellent ratings, Newsmax Health explains how “alcohol can break down the protective outer layers of skin and allow chemicals, like those found in the hand sanitizer itself, such as parabens, to penetrate the skin easier, as well as chemicals such as BPA found on cash register receipts.” This can cause us to be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals as well as cause the skin to dry, something that is already an uphill battle during the cold winter months.
Even though the alcohol sanitizers are safe to use, the best choice is still to go back to the basics and wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. This has overwhelmingly been proven to be much more effective with both bacteria and viruses and is still, for now the best way to protect yourself due to the fact that id also does not remove the important “good bacteria” of the body when used as stated in Rush University Medical Centers Article. The sanitizer has its place as a quick and useful tool while at work or on the go but with the downsides you have to make the choice yourself, is it worth it?
Wow, learning that Triclosan causes the immune system to weaken really opens my eyes to the dangers of choosing the wrong kind of hand sanitizes. I always assumed that all hand sanitizers do the same job so I usually just choose the cheapest. Knowing the dangers of flu season and understanding how important it is to stay in class will certainly motivate me to keep up with my hygiene to prevent sickness. Your article was very interesting on the science side. It was one of the first articles I read so far that took the topic to a scientific level where chemistry was used. Bravo
I had never considered that the hand sanitizer could remove good bacteria, me and my roommate have an industrial sized bottle in our room. I frequently use it after classes and even after washing my hands in the bathroom. After reading this though definitely might stick with just washing my hands whenever I can!
I have heard these negative consequences of using hand sanitizer too often. A girl at my school, who was a germaphobe, used to have the most dry and cracked hands during the winter. I’m not sure if it was because she washed her hands so much or used to much hand sanitizer. I used sanitizer every now and then if I feel the need and if its accessible; however, I usually just try to wash my hands a bunch of times throughout the day which seems to be effective.