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.