Sanitize your hands - many people at home with kids, animals and especially in the medical field do it often. Here is what I found this morning in an article:
April 28th, 2017
By Carolanne Wright
Contributing writer for Wake Up World
A new study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine may give you pause for thought the next time you reach for your favorite hand sanitizer. We’ve long known that the chemicals present in these products aren’t the best thing to be applying to the skin, not to mention they’re exceptionally drying. But occasional use can’t be that harmful, right? As it turns out, using chemical hand sanitizers can actually triple the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
The research team reviewed data from over 900 patients — 462 adults with thyroid cancer in 2010 and 2011 and compared them with 498 control subjects. They subsequently calculated exposure to the biocide chemicals based on both reported use and detailed information regarding occupational exposures. Those who work in medicine or cleaning — like healthcare providers in hospitals, home health assistants and professional building cleaners — were found to have the highest biocide exposure.
Although not involved with the study, Laura Koniver MD summarizes the study’s results as follows:
Women with any occupational exposure at all were 48% more likely to develop thyroid cancer.
Men with any occupational exposure at all were 300% more likely to develop thyroid cancer — 3 X the normal rates of thyroid cancers!
The over all risk of using biocides increased thyroid cancer rates by 65%
For those with highest cumulative exposures (associated with jobs that require hand sanitizer use such as health professions) the risk of thyroid cancer more than doubled.
These biocide chemicals are known hormone disrupters… for example, Triclosan has been shown to interrupt and decrease the levels of several different thyroid hormones (necessary for growth and metabolism.)
Needless to say, it’s best to give these chemical-based sanitizers a wide berth if we would like to stay healthy. Not only are they potent hormone disruptors, but they’re already causing the creation of superbugs, where the bacteria and viruses are becoming resistant to these wipes, sprays and antibacterial hand soaps. And since many of these products contain alcohol, which dries and cracks the skin, they actually make you more exposed to the pathogens around you. Biocide chemicals can also put you at risk for hypothyroidism, damage reproductive organs and sperm quality, as well as disrupt the production of sex and thyroid hormones. But that’s not all.
Increased Blood Serum Levels of BPA Directly Connected to Hand Sanitizer Use
A study published in the journal PLOS found that holding a sales receipt and eating food after applying hand sanitizer significantly increased the absorption of Bisphenol A (BPA) by the body.
According to the study, holding a receipt printed on thermal paper — including airline boarding passes, as well as gas, ATM, cash register and many other types of receipts — for as little as 2 seconds after applying hand sanitizer, can increase BPA absorption by as much as 185 times. The researchers studied people in fast food restaurants, food courts and shopping malls, and found a “dramatic” increase in serum BPA levels after using hand sanitizer, holding a receipt, and then eating with the BPA-contaminated hand. Besides skin absorption on the hands, the main exposure was through the thin skin of the mouth, not the gastrointestinal tract.
Writes Chriss Kresser in BPA and Hand Sanitizer: a Toxic Mix With Serious Health Risks?: