Q. I don’t want to use soap with triclosan because I read that it might affect muscles. As an athlete, I don’t want to weaken my performance.
I don’t like alcohol-containing hand sanitizers. Are there any alternatives?
A. Triclosan is an antibacterial chemical found in soaps, deodorants, mouthwash and toothpaste. Research in mice and fish suggests that triclosan impairs muscle function (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, online Aug. 13, 2012). There are no studies yet to show if these findings also extend to humans.
Old-fashioned soap and water is a great way to clean hands. If you would like a sanitizer you can carry with you, consider CleanWell products. They use thyme derivatives as the active ingredient and contain no alcohol.
