Why It's Best to Avoid Hand Sanitizer Gel

Scientists have long expressed worries about the way triclosan is showing up in hundreds of products, especially for its potential to encourage the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as well as possibly leaving children more prone to allergies and asthma.

The CDC found triclosan in the urine of nearly 75 percent of humans tested over the age of 6 (interestingly, “triclosan levels were greater among people in the highest income bracket”), as well as in the breast milk of nursing mothers — even those women who did not use personal care products containing the chemical.

According to a new study in Environmental Health News: “A bacteria-killing chemical widely used in an array of consumer products has made its way down kitchen and bathroom sinks and into dolphins living in US coastal waters."

This sums up the hand sanitizer craze well:

"You want some hand gel?"

The moment it was apparent I was pregnant, I started getting this question. It was asked so often it started to remind me of the drug pushers who used to hang around Washington Square Park when I was a teenager: "Smoke? Smoke?"

"No, thanks," was – is – my standard reply. I did already know that certain hand purifying gels contained, among other undesirables, the hormone disrupting antibacterial/antifungal agent triclosan, which can form dioxins when it comes into contact with water and has scientists worried it will create resistant strains of bacteria. Most people stared at me oddly or made a face when I turned the stuff down. Their sneers seemed to say, Didn't I know my hands had horrible scary germs on them that were about to kill my unborn child? I understand their fervor – I feel this way about toxic chemicals, not so much about germs. Well, actually, I am a germ freak, but these chemicals worry me more than microorganisms. I try to think about the hygiene hypothesis – that exposure to germs helps build a healthy immune system – when something dirty bothers me.

Of course when my itty bitty vulnerable newborn arrived in the world, the hand gel offerings grew a zillion-fold. Every person who came to meet her popped a bottle of the stuff out of their bags, slathered it all over their hands, then reached for her. I was horrified. This was in my apartment, mind you. They could have walked two inches to the bathroom and used soap and warm water to greater – and much safer – effect. But Americans like their products.

Here's what to avoid: Any of the conventional gels. The first thing that MUST be avoided is anything claiming to be antibacterial or containing triclosan.

Waterless, antibacterial hand sanitizers are marketed as a way to 'wash your hands' when soap and water aren't available, and they are especially popular among parents of small children. But research shows that they do not significantly reduce the overall amount of bacteria on the hands, and in some cases they may even increase it. Hand sanitizer can't take the place of old-fashioned soap and water at home or anywhere else.

Dioxin Pollution May Explain Why As Many As 6 Million Women Can't Breast-Feed Their Babies

The health benefits of breast-feeding are many -- everything from lower obesity rates to lower rates of asthma have been attributed to breast-feeding and other good nutritional habits early in life. For mothers, breast-feeding can actually lower the risk of heart disease, according to one recent study.

But as many as 6 million mothers worldwide are unable to either initiate breast-feeding or produce enough milk, leaving them and their children without the option of the most natural, nutritious diet available for the first months of life.

A new study suggests a novel, and disturbing reason why some mothers have trouble breast-feeding: dioxin pollution inhibits the normal growth of breasts during pregnancy. The effect was indeed profound: A 50% decrease in new breast tissue. In addition, dioxin altered milk-producing genes, resulting in fewer mature lobules and ductal branches which make and deliver milk.

There's little we can do to avoid dioxin exposure. Dioxins made news in 2004, when the chemical was used to poison Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, and Agent Orange is perhaps the best-known dioxin -- but dioxins more typically poison in tiny amounts slowly over time. Exposure has previously been linked to cancer as well as damage to the immune, reproductive and neurological systems.

Dioxins are a byproduct of incineration, and are spread widely through the atmosphere -- which means they rain down on farms where livestock graze and in oceans where they can contaminate fish. Dioxins can be found in the fats of meat, dairy products, fish, shellfish ... and humans.

A 2001 study found that beef and dairy products are the main contributors to dioxin exposure in the American diet. Some recommend choosing only low-fat milk, since dioxins accumulate in fats.

The EPA calls "uncontrolled burning of residential waste" the single largest source of dioxins in the environment today, largely because other major sources have been reduced. Laws against backyard burning of waste are typically adopted town-by-town or county-by-county, so you can reduce local sources of dioxin by supporting local laws to limit or ban outdoor trash burning.