Hygiene Habits That Can Do More Harm Than Good

[donnay]

Hygiene Habits That Can Do More Harm Than Good

By Dr. Mercola

An article featured in Reader's Digest1 called out a number of so-called "healthy" hygiene practices that actually do more harm than good. Given the condensed nature of their commentary and the many misconceptions involved with these particular areas of hygiene, I would like to elaborate on some of them. You are probably aware that many commercial personal care products, such as bubble bath and hand sanitizer, are laced with harmful chemicals that can potentially damage your health.

But, what's your view on brushing your teeth right after a meal, cleaning your ears, douching or exfoliating? Are those widespread practices helping or hurting you? If you're not sure, let's take a closer look at popular hygiene routines that may be wreaking havoc on your health. Below are 10 hygiene habits that do more harm than good.

Harmful Hygiene Habit No. 1: Applying Hand Sanitizer

If you are still under the impression hand sanitizer is as good or better for you than regular hand-washing with soap and water, it's time to get educated. Many hand sanitizers contain rubbing alcohol as the active bactericidal ingredient, which may dry your skin. Even worse is an ingredient called triclosan, which has been shown to not only contribute to the development of bacterial resistance, but it also increases the amount of bisphenol-A (BPA) you absorb when handling thermal receipt paper or other BPA-containing products.

BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical found in countless everyday products and it is associated with several negative health effects, including, according to Newsweek,2 "interfering with proper function of hormones like estrogen. Animal studies have linked it to a number of concerning health effects, including abnormal brain function and sexual development." Research published in PLOS One3 about the interplay of BPA, hand sanitizers and thermal receipts calls out this serious health hazard. The study authors suggested:

"Not taken into account when considering thermal paper as a source of BPA exposure is that some commonly used hand sanitizers, as well as other skincare products, contain mixtures of dermal-penetration enhancing chemicals that can increase by up to 100-fold the dermal absorption of lipophilic compounds such as BPA.4

The elevated levels of BPA we observed due to holding thermal paper after using a product containing dermal-penetration enhancing chemicals have been related to an increased risk for a wide range of developmental abnormalities as well as diseases in adults."

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned triclosan in December 2017, manufacturers were given a year to stop including it in over-the-counter antiseptic products, which means you still may find products containing triclosan well beyond December 2018, especially if stores keep them on shelves until they're sold out.

Your best option for maintaining clean hands is to use a mild soap and water. As much as you can, avoid using antibacterial soap because it contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. If you really must use hand sanitizer, you'd be better off making your own. Check out the video above for more information.

Read more: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/...bits.aspx?utm_referrer=https://zen.yandex.com

 

[Zippyjuan]

you absorb when handling thermal receipt paper

The elevated levels of BPA we observed due to holding thermal paper after using a product containing dermal-penetration enhancing chemicals have been related to an increased risk for a wide range of developmental abnormalities as well as diseases in adults."

I don't carry around my receipts and play with them all day.

From the paper: http://www.science20.com/the_conver...er_really_send_your_bpa_levels_soaring-147546

The paper Holding Thermal Receipt Paper and Eating Food after Using Hand Sanitizer Results in High Serum Bioactive and Urine Total Levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) looks at whether BPA-containing thermal receipt paper could be a significant source of BPA exposure for humans.

However, the conditions used in this experiment are quite unlike any realistic use of thermal paper. The subjects wet their hands with a hand sanitizer that penetrates the skin. They then held thermal paper in their wet hands for four minutes, after which they immediately handled and ate food.

If you have ever watched a cashier handle thermal paper, they typically hold it between thumb and forefinger (or thumb and first two fingers) for only a few seconds. This means that not only is the duration of exposure much smaller, the amount of skin surface area available for absorption is smaller, so much less material will be absorbed.

Even under these extreme conditions (whole, wet hands, four minutes holding, immediately handling and eating food), the BPA levels in the subjects blood all remained well under levels shown to have a biological effect, and was quickly eliminated from the blood.

Again, because you can measure something does not mean the result is meaningful. Our tests for opioids are so sensitive that eating a single poppy seed cake can produce a positive result.

BPA is rapidly inactivated in the body. Short exposure times (and much smaller skin surface exposed) means that very little BPA is taken in, and by the time the next exposure happens, even if it is only a couple of minutes, the BPA has been substantially removed.

 

[donnay]

I don't carry around my receipts and play with them all day.

From the paper: http://www.science20.com/the_conver...er_really_send_your_bpa_levels_soaring-147546

Think clerks at grocery stores. You will also see hand sanitizers readily available for them to use by their registers. Observe Zippy-son, observe.

Just remember it is not only in receipts but it's in lots of things. People are getting bombarded with BPA and BPS.

More than you Bargained For: BPS and BPA in Receipts
https://www.ecocenter.org/sites/def... Center Receipt Study 2018 Report final_0.pdf

 

[Zippyjuan]

Think clerks at grocery stores. You will also see hand sanitizers readily available for them to use by their registers. Observe Zippy-son, observe.

Just remember it is not only in receipts but it's in lots of things. People are getting bombarded with BPA and BPS.

More than you Bargained For: BPS and BPA in Receipts
https://www.ecocenter.org/sites/def... Center Receipt Study 2018 Report final_0.pdf

They aren't continuously handling the receipts either- just long enough to tear it off and hand it to the customer.

From my same link:

Now, you might say “well 4 minutes is a long time to hold thermal paper (in wet hands, wet with special skin penetrating hand sanitizers), but while cashiers handle thermal paper for a few seconds, they do this for hours on end, surely their overall exposure is much more than 4 minutes”.

However, BPA is rapidly inactivated in the body. Short exposure times (and much smaller skin surface exposed) means that very little BPA is taken in, and by the time the next exposure happens, even if it is only a couple of minutes, the BPA has been substantially removed.

 

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20110928/study-bpa-often-undetectable-in-blood-of-adults#1

Study: BPA Often Undetectable in Blood of Adults

Most of the Chemical Is Quickly Eliminated in Urine, Researchers Say

Most of the bisphenol A (BPA) that adults ingest is quickly eliminated in the urine, new research confirms.

In the government-funded study, BPA was virtually undetectable in the blood of adults, even when levels in urine were high.

The study’s lead researcher says the findings show that the “odds are very small” that BPA poses a significant public health risk. And a food packaging trade group called the research “definitive evidence” that adverse health effects from exposure to the chemical are unlikely.

But a CDC investigator who was among the first to show widespread exposure to BPA from food packaging manufactured with the chemical says the new study was not designed to address the health effects of exposure.

“This study confirms that exposure to BPA is common in the adult population,” research chemist Antonia M. Calafat, PhD, of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, tells WebMD. “The study also shows that BPA appears to be excreted rather quickly and that concentrations in serum are much lower than concentrations in urine.”

“Many researchers have reported exposure to bisphenol A from the diet,” Teeguarden tells WebMD. “The real question is and always has been, ‘Do we get enough of the bioactive form of the chemical in the blood to cause adverse effects?’”

Blood and urine samples from 20 adult volunteers were collected hourly during the day and several times at night over 24 hours. Over the course of the study day, the participants ate three meals made from canned foods with linings that contained BPA.

As a result, the average consumption of BPA was estimated to be 21% higher than the average for 95% of adults in the United States.

Despite the high exposure, levels of bioactive BPA in the blood were undetectable in the samples, Teeguarden says.

Independent analysis of the samples by the CDC and the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research confirmed the findings.

In the CDC analysis, bioactive BPA was below the limit of detection in all 320 analyzed blood samples.

 

[euphemia]

Cut it out Zippy. I have been a cashier in one of the largest resorts in the southeast. During the busy season, which is also cold and flu season, we went through a lot of hand sanitizer and thermal paper.

Dirk Brockmann did studies tracking disease by tracking the flow of money. It has been proven that viruses stay active on paper money up to three days. If it's not the paper, it's the money. If sanitizer is bad for us, then it's worse for cashiers.

PS I have not counted a drawer full of money in well over a year. I don't miss it even a little bit.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Cut it out Zippy. I have been a cashier in one of the largest resorts in the southeast. During the busy season, which is also cold and flu season, we went through a lot of hand sanitizer and thermal paper.

Dirk Brockmann did studies tracking disease by tracking the flow of money. It has been proven that viruses stay active on paper money up to three days. If it's not the paper, it's the money. If sanitizer is bad for us, then it's worse for cashiers.

PS I have not counted a drawer full of money in well over a year. I don't miss it even a little bit.

I too work retail and handle money and don't get sick. And don't use the sanitizer.

 

[euphemia]

Don't let the facts stand in the way of your argument.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Don't let the facts stand in the way of your argument.

I have presented facts. It is up to the reader to decide.

 

[donnay]

The FDA Declares that Bisphenol A is Safe, Despite Scientific Evidence
http://www.ehn.org/fda-flawed-statement-science-bpa-2542621453.html

 

[euphemia]

I have presented facts. It is up to the reader to decide.

I've presented some facts, too.

 

[euphemia]

I too work retail and handle money and don't get sick. And don't use the sanitizer.

So basically you don't make squat and post here to make up the difference?

 

[pcosmar]

They aren't continuously handling the receipts either- just long enough to tear it off and hand it to the customer.

Nope,, just every receipt for every customer on on their shift every day.. like a lot.

 

[euphemia]

Nope,, just every receipt for every customer on on their shift every day.. like a lot.

Exactly. While they sign, then when checkout comes and there is $20K to count plus receipts to balance.

 

[Zippyjuan]

So basically you don't make squat and post here to make up the difference?

I don't get paid to post. How do I sign up for that?