New Research Links Hand Sanitizer Use With Thyroid Cancer
How often do you use hand sanitizer? Have you ever questioned whether it should be considered safe or not?
A recent study that was published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine may give you more than enough reason to question it. We have known for quite some time that the chemicals going into products like hand sanitizer are questionable, to say the least. This study found that using chemical hand sanitizers can triple the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
During the course of this study, a research team reviewed data from over 900 patients. Some with thyroid cancer and some without. They calculated the exposure to the biocide chemicals based on reported use and detailed information regarding their occupational exposure. You see, those who worked in the medical field or cleaning endured higher exposure.
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. The overall risks of using biocides increased the thyroid cancer rates by around 65%.
Since many of these hand sanitizers contain alcohol they also cause dryness and cracks in your skin. That causes you to be easily exposed to pathogens! Makes soap and water sound a lot better now doesn’t it?
Hand sanitizer also kills off a lot of good bacteria on your hands and is ineffective against a lot of bacteria (depending on what kind it is). Hand sanitizer is completely ineffective against spore-releasing bacteria. Another study has even shown that it can increase the amount of BPA entering your body which to me and most other people is terrifying.
For more information on the dangers of hand sanitizer please take the time to watch the video below. There is no sense in risking your health for a few seconds less when cleaning your hands. Take the extra time to wash with soap and water.