“You squirt it on your hands as you catch the office elevator for lunch, and then again on your way home. You have bottles in your bathroom and kitchen, too — and you use them often. You think (hope?) that your hand-sanitizer habit is protecting you from colds and flu and gross bugaboos like E. coli. But even if it isn’t, it’s harmless. Right? The rumor: Hand sanitizer is not only ineffective, it’s toxic Word on the street has it that despite how clean your hands feel after using a hand sanitizer, they’re actually still dirty — and using sanitizers might actually lower your resistance to disease. Is it true?! The verdict: Soap and water beats sanitizers hands-down When it comes to safety and effectiveness, the main concern with hand sanitizers is triclosan, which is the main antibacterial ingredient in nonalcoholic hand sanitizers. “There’s no good evidence that triclosan-containing products have a benefit,” says Allison Aiello, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. In Europe and the United States, hospitals won’t even use them, she notes; it’s thought that they don’t reduce infections or illness.” To read more, click HERE