The Dangers of Using Hand Sanitizer

It seems every bit of media we see these days is condoning the use of hand sanitizer. Are there dangers involved in using hand sanitizer? How is this different from antibacterial soap use? Aren't we decreasing our resistance to disease? Hand sanitizer, when used properly kills up to 99% of bacteria on the hands. This may sound good, but hand sanitizer use is not all good. People are relying too heavily on hand sanitizer. It kills all bacteria. There are numerous dangers involved with using hand sanitizer. The worst danger is that hand sanitizer is killing the good bacteria we need to fight disease.

Good Bacteria
There is an old saying we use to describe things like the dangers of hand sanitizer. Bacteria is not all bad. By washing with hand sanitizer are we 'throwing the baby out with the bath water'? Are we killing good bacteria along with harmful bacteria? Yes, we are. When we use hand sanitizer it does not differentiate between good and bad bacteria. It kills them all. Along with the bacteria that can harm us, it kills the bacteria that can help us.

Disease Resistance
What about disease resistance? How do we build resistance to disease? Disease resistance is built by exposure to small amounts of harmful bacteria. If we effectively kill all bacteria with hand sanitizer, we will not be able to build resistance to disease through limited exposure. This means that rather than getting sick less often, we will actually get sick more often because we have lowered our resistance to disease. This is the very same problem we are now experiencing with antibacterial soaps.

Young Children
Parents have taken to using hand sanitizer to keep their young children from getting sick. Not only does this reduce their ability to develop resistance to disease, it has other dangers as well. Hand sanitizer is toxic and flammable. Young children have an inherent habit of putting their fingers in their mouth. Slathering a toxic and flammable substance on a young child's hands is risky at best. Even if there is no immediate issue, constant use of hand sanitizer on a child could cause potential health issues.

The Alternative
Is there an alternative to hand sanitizer? Yes, of course. It's called soap and water. Using soap and water washes away the soil and other substances bad bacteria uses to breed. It does not eliminate all bacteria the way antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizer do. It leaves minuscule amounts of bacteria, so that we may develop disease resistance. It also leaves the good bacteria alone. Washing with soap and water is the best way to remain disease free.

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