Is your hand sanitiser increasing your risk of osteoporosis?
Women with higher levels of triclosan in their urine are more than twice as likely to have the condition, shows study
Female GPs may want to take note of the ingredients in their hand sanitiser, with a study suggesting that exposure to a common chemical in the products may be linked with osteoporosis in women.
US data suggests that women exposed to the chemical triclosan are more likely to develop osteoporosis than women who haven’t been.
The study of 1848 women reports that those with the highest levels of triclosan in their urine are more than twice as likely to have osteoporosis than women with the lowest levels.
Triclosan has been widely used for years as an antimicrobial agent in personal care products, including soaps, hand sanitisers, toothpaste and mouthwash, the researchers from China note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
