A few months back, antibacterial products began to receive a wide backlash due to one of their harmful ingredients, Triclosan. Many studies provide evidence that constant exposure to Triclosan can cause hormonal changes, endocrine and immune system problems, and even sterility.
So far, the only major action taken against this comes from Minnesota. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has decided to ban all items containing Triclosan by 2017.
Now, new studies indicate that using antibacterial products are increasing the amounts of Bisphenol A (BPA) can be absorbed by our bodies. “Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting environmental contaminant used in a wide variety of products, and BPA metabolites are found in almost everyone’s urine, suggesting widespread exposure from multiple sources” (excerpt from the video). Hormone disorders, heart disease, cancer, infertility, and diabetes are some of the complications that arise from being overexposed to BPA
To test the hypothesis, researchers from University of Missouri conducted experiments where the subjects were asked to use hand sanitizers and then come in contact with receipts, which contain high amounts of BPA. The result of the study concluded that hand sanitizers do in fact increase the absorption of BPA (up to a 100 times).
In today’s germaphobe world, hand sanitizers have become excessively available everywhere – many even carry portable containers at all time. But enough studies have pointed out that consistent use of antibacterial products enable bacteria to become more resistant. This is bad because we rely heavily on antibiotics for many various reasons and the last thing we want is for antibiotics to be of no use.
What are your thoughts on today’s overly sensitive germaphobic culture – let us know with a comment below!
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