But a new study finds it can actually increase the amount of BPA in your system! Yet another reason to stop using it altogether!

Hey guys, Tara here for DNews - and there's been a lot of talk over the past few years about hand sanitizer, and why it can actually be dangerous for you.

DNews actually did an episode on it just last year.

The basic idea is that triclosan, the active ingredient in hand sanitizer, kills off all of your good bacteria, making it easier for antibiotic resistant strains to flourish.

But that's not the only reason it's bad. A new study published this week in PLOS One, finds that using hand sanitizer can also increase your skin's absorption of BPA.

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, and it's a chemical used in the production of almost all hard plastics, including containers used for most foods and beverages.

Essentially, it imitates our hormones, in a way that disrupts our body's natural endocrine system.

Studies have linked high amounts of BPA to hormone disorders, heart disease, cancer, infertility, and even diabetes.

In a nutshell, it's bad. And according to this new study, hand sanitizer makes it even worse.

Most commonly used hand sanitizers contain chemicals that enhance the penetration of lipophilic compounds into your skin.

BPA is one of those compounds.

So researchers from the University of Missouri looked specifically at thermal receipt paper, which contains very high quantities of BPA to see if hand sanitizer increased the absorption of those chemicals.

Turns out, it does. A lot.

They found that using hand sanitizer before touching receipt paper, increases the absorption of BPA up to 100 fold.

What's more, is that all of that extra BPA lingers on your hands.

So if you were to eat food directly afterwards, you'd be getting a double dose of BPA absorption - first from your hands, and then from your mouth.

And those specific levels of BPA have been proven to increase the risk of disease in adults, and developmental abnormalities in children.

So what can we do about this?

Well, unfortunately, no safe alternatives to BPA have been identified for use in thermal paper.

So until those technologies are developed, the best thing you can really do is just stop using hand sanitizer unless you really, really need it.

And definitely don't use it before ordering take-out food because that's not good.

What do you guys think? Have you sworn off hand sanitizer altogether?

Let us know how you feel in the comments below - and as always, thank you guys for watching!