We all know hand sanitizer is bad for you - but a new study finds it can actually increase
the amount of BPA in your system!
Yet another reason to stop using it altogether!
Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and there’s been a lot of talk over the past few years
about hand sanitizer, and why it can actually dangerous for you.
Dnews did an episode on it just last year.
The basic idea is that triclosan, the active ingredient in hand sanitizer, kills off all
of your good bacteria, making it easier for antibiotic resistant strains to flourish.
But that’s not the only reason it’s bad.
A new study published this week in PLOS One, finds that using hand sanitizer can also increase
your skin’s absorption of BPA.
BPA stands for Bisphenol A, and it’s a chemical used in the production of almost all hard
plastics, including containers used for most foods and beverages.
Essentially, it imitates our hormones, in a way that disrupts our body’s natural endocrine
system.
Studies have linked high amounts of BPA to hormone disorders, heart disease, cancer,
infertility, and even diabetes.
In a nutshell, it’s bad.
And according to this new study, hand sanitizer makes it even worse.
Most commonly used hand sanitizers contain chemicals that enhance the penetration of
lipophilic compounds into your skin.
BPA is one of those compounds.
So researchers from the University of Missouri looked specifically at thermal receipt paper
- which contains very high quantities of BPA - to see if hand sanitizer increased the absorption
of those chemicals.
Turns out, it does.
A lot.
They found that using hand sanitizer before touching receipt paper, increases the absorption
of BPA up to 100 fold.
What’s more, is that all of that extra BPA lingers on your hands, so if you were to eat
food directly afterwards, you’d be getting a double dose of BPA absorption - first from
your hands, and then from your mouth.
And those specific levels of BPA have been proven to increase the risk of disease in
adults, and developmental abnormalities in children.
So what can we do about this?
Well, unfortunately, no safe alternatives to BPA have been identified for use in thermal
paper - so until those technologies are developed, the best thing you can do is just stop using
hand sanitizer unless you really, really need it.
And definitely don’t use it before ordering take-out food.
It’s just not worth it!
What do you guys think?
Have you sworn off hand sanitizer altogether?
Let us know how you feel in the comments below - and as always, thank you guys for watching!