Super Eco

Photo credit: eflon, flickr

Handwashing isn't a sexy topic—so we're going to scrub this one up by the numbers.

Two reasons to wash your hands frequently:

1. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to keep from getting sick and spreading illnesses, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
2. Handwashing is an effective way to avoid transferring toxic chemicals from your hands to your mouth, especially for children. Notes the Environmental Working Group (EWG), "Scientists have found that children actually ingest more chemicals off their hands than from mouthing toxic products directly, such as arsenic from playing on older wooden swing sets or fire retardants found on some electronics."

One magic number to remember when washing your hands:

• Scrub hands with soap for 20 seconds—about as long as it takes to hum "Happy Birthday" in your head.

Four reasons to avoid anti-bacterial soap:

1. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee found that antibacterial soaps offer no advantages or benefits over plain soap and water.
2. The American Medical Association advises against using antibacterial soap at home because it may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
3. Triclosan, the common agent in antibacterial soap, is linked to liver and inhalation toxicity as well as impaired thyroid function.
4. Wastewater treatment is unable to completely remove triclosan from water, exposing marine wildlife to the toxic chemical in lakes, rivers and oceans.

Three soap ingredients to avoid:

1. Fragrance
2. Triclosan
3. Triclocarbon

Two reasons handwashing is better than waterless sanitizing lotions and gels:

1. Hand sanitizers don't prevent hand-to-mouth chemical transfers.
2. Sanitizers (including harmful ingredients such as fragrance, antibacterial agents, drying alcohol) remain on the skin, to become fully absorbed.