Antibacterial Nation

Nowadays it is quite common to see people walking around with bottles upon bottles of hand sanitizer, as we are consistently being told to wash our hands several times per day to keep germs (like swine flu, recently) away.  The antibacterial soap industry has quadrupled in size over the last decade, and continues to grow day by day.  Unfortunately we've sort of created our own monster with this concept, and we actually may be better off skipping the antibacterial soap and opting for the old fashioned stuff.  Even the American Medical Association has recommended ditching it in our homes.  Here's a few reasons why:

It's nothin' to write home about

Antibacterial soap has repeatedly shown to have no benefit compared to traditional soaps in killing bacteria microbes nor in preventing illness.  Don't believe me? Check the FDA website which lists results of its advisory committee which came to this exact conclusion more than once.

Triclosan

The main active ingredient in antibacterial soap is Triclosan, which has been linked to liver toxicity,  inhalation toxicity, disrupted thyroid function, and sex hormone changes and dysregulation.  It is also severely detrimental to aquatic wildlife, and is very difficult to remove from our water supply.  Triclosan is also commonly found in toothpaste, facewash, deodorant,  personal care products, some mattresses, toothbrushes, and shoe insoles. Triclosan has been found, most recently by Dr. Pessah of the EHP research group, to change calcium channel receptors in the brain to become overly excited which can eventually  lead to a burnout effect which will imbalance neural circuits indefinitely.  Therefore, triclosan is thought to be the most dangerous for pregnant women and children, as people in vulnerable stages of development are more sensitive to its harmful effects. Some people even have a gene mutation which makes them more sensitive to Triclosan's harmful effects. Here is a list of liquid soaps which are Triclosan-free. And for you research junkies who need more scientific basis you can find Dr. Pessah's study here.  Check out the chart to the left - its pollution effects are widespread, unfortunately, so the more you can limit your exposure the better off you'll be. 
La Resistance
Using antibacterial soaps can cause some species of bacteria to eventually become resistant to the triclosan-induced antibiotic properties of the soap, and (on a larger scale) the bacteria can then become resistant to common prescription antibiotics. This is the primary reason the American Medical Association has recommended we not use antibacterial soap in our homes, based on current data.  Also, antibacterial soaps kill the "good" bacteria which our bodies need to fight off infection, maintain gastrointestinal health, and for a plethora of other health-related functions.
Hand Sanitizers 
Hand sanitizers are problematic because of the same reasons I've listed above for antibacterial hand soap.If you choose to use hand sanitizers, pick ones that are alcohol-based, as these less frequently contain Triclosan.  But, of course, always read your labels and look for "Triclosan" or "Triclocarban" as ingredients to avoid. The secondary problem with hand sanitizers is that they do not remove the dirt and dust that can harbor such potentially harmful chemicals and instead leave them on your skin to be likely transferred to your mouth or absorbed into your skin.  Soap and water will at least partially wash these substances off, giving further rationale for skipping these products more often than not.